Advertisement

Detain And Release: When Illegal Immigrants Commit A Crime

07:58
Download Audio
Resume
Detectives from New York City Police escort Huang Chen from the 109th precinct in the Queens, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010. (AP/New York Times, Uli Seit)
Detectives from New York City Police escort Huang Chen from the 109th precinct in the Queens, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010. (AP/New York Times, Uli Seit)

Maria Sacchetti of the Boston Globe reports on the detention and release of illegal immigrants with criminal records in the US.

One of the cases Sacchetti uncovered concerns a Chinese immigrant, Huang Chen, who went to jail in 2006 for attacking a woman in New York. But China wanted nothing to do with the man and so immigration authorities just let him go. Chen then returned to the woman he attacked and killed her after stalking her for two weeks.

From Part I of the Boston Globe series:

"A yearlong Globe investigation found the culture of secrecy can be deadly to Americans and foreigners alike: Immigration officials do not notify most crime victims when they release a criminal such as Chen, and they only notify local law enforcement on a case by case basis. And even though immigration officials have the power to try to hold dangerous people longer, that rarely occurs."

Guest:

  • Maria Sacchetti, Boston Globe

This segment aired on December 10, 2012.

Advertisement

More from Here & Now

Listen Live
Close