Rep. Ralph Norman has introduced legislation that would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to create and maintain a publicly accessible database of criminal illegal aliens released from federal custody into communities across the country.
The proposed legislation, known as the Worst of the Worst (WOW) Act, would require ICE to publish identifying information for individuals released from custody who have prior convictions for violent crimes, sexual offenses, weapons offenses, drug trafficking crimes, crimes against children or gang-related offenses.
Under the bill, the database would include a photograph, name, general physical description, city of release, date of release and the general category of the qualifying conviction. The database would be searchable by both name and city.
Norman said the legislation is intended to increase transparency and provide communities and local law enforcement agencies with information about individuals with serious criminal histories who have been released from ICE custody.
The proposal follows recent efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to increase public awareness of immigration enforcement actions through initiatives such as Aliens.gov, which highlights arrests of criminal illegal aliens by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Supporters of the measure argue the legislation would improve public safety and accountability by informing residents when convicted criminal offenders are released into their communities.
The bill comes amid ongoing debate over federal immigration policies and the release of individuals with prior criminal convictions into communities throughout the United States.
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