Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced the Be Gone Act on Tuesday, which, if passed, would require federal immigration officials to prioritize the deportation of the more than 15,000 illegal alien sex offenders residing in the United States.

The bill's text, obtained by the New York Post, seeks to prioritize the removal of noncitizens convicted of sexual assault and aggravated sexual violence.

'These violent criminals never would have entered America in the first place if we had real border security.'

Ernst announced the bill in response to a bombshell disclosure from Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealing that there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on its national docket as of July.

Last week, ICE's deputy director and senior official performing the duties of director Patrick Lechleitner responded to a request from Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) in March for information regarding the number of noncitizens convicted or charged with crimes on the agency's docket.

Of the over 600,000 with criminal histories, Lechleitner stated that 435,719 are convicted criminals and the other 226,847 have pending charges.

Lechleitner's response letter included a breakdown of those convictions, charges, and whether the individuals were in ICE custody.

The national docket data on convictions included more than 64,000 assaults, roughly 2,200 commercialized sexual offenses, nearly 16,000 fraudulent activities, approximately 13,000 homicides, and over 15,000 sexual assaults.

Lechleitner addressed the issue of sanctuary jurisdictions that prevent local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officials.

"ICE recognizes that some jurisdictions are concerned that cooperating with federal immigration officials will erode trust with immigrants communities and make it harder for local law enforcement to serve those populations," he wrote. "However, 'sanctuary' policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals, who often victimize those same communities."

Lechleitner noted that from October 2020 through July 2024, ICE lifted 24,796 detainer requests, stating that 23,591 of those were declined by local law enforcement agencies. Over that same period, ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations issued 2,897 declined detainer requests.

Ernst stated that her proposed bill aims to protect the country where Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris has failed.

"Since Border Czar Kamala Harris won't protect this country, then I will," Ernst stated. "These violent criminals never would have entered America in the first place if we had real border security, but now that they're in our communities, we need to identify, stop, and deport them."

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