Hundreds of Illegals Rearrested after Being Released

Hundreds of undocumented immigrants held for deportation in the U.S. and then released were later arrested again for various crimes, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

The conservative Washington D.C.-based group says state and local sanctuary policies led to the 2014 release of more than 8,000 criminal immigrants sought by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) for deportation.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents obtained by the center show that close to 1,900 of those immigrants were arrested for another crime within eight months of their release.

Federal agents originally asked local authorities to hold the 8,000 but were told they couldn't be detained without probable cause.

The worst crime reported is the shooting death of a San Francisco woman by a released detainee.

Around the country, 276 state and local jurisdictions have so-called sanctuary policies that allow them to refuse to comply with ICE requests for detainment. The jurisdictions are located in 43 states and the District of Columbia.

ICE uses "detainers" to take custody of undocumented immigrants for deportation. The detainer includes information on an immigrant's previous criminal history, immigration violations, and risk to public safety.