The federal government deports thousands of people from the U.S. each year. Number one on its priority list are violent criminals.
Jean Jacques, a Haitian national who spent 17 years in a Connecticut prison for an attempted murder conviction, was not deported after his release last year. Now he's on trial for the alleged killing of Casey Chadwick, a Norwich, Connecticut woman.
The Norwich Bulletin has been reporting on this case. WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil spoke with reporter Adam Benson.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
On Jacques's Criminal History
This individual spent 17 years in prison. He was convicted of attempted murder back in 1997, and he got out in January of 2015. And six months later, he is charged by Norwich police in the murder of this Norwich woman, Casey Chadwick [after] some kind of an altercation in her apartment. Her body was found inside of a closet with multiple stab wounds.
Why Jacques Wasn't Deported
We don't know why he wasn't. It's clear he should have been. Through our reporting that's emerged, and also, subsequent probes by Sen. Blumenthal, [Congressman] Joe Courtney, and other officials have tried to find an answer to that question. What we do know is that ICE -- the Immigration Customs and Enforcement, which is an arm of Homeland Security -- had three chances to deport Mr. Jacques since 2002, and that simply didn't happen for a variety of reasons, that we frankly don't know and that officials at the highest levels of government also don't know.
How ICE Has Responded
Slowly, if at all, frankly. Sen. Blumenthal has reportedly said that he's been "stonewalled" by them. They've been slow in releasing information to the press, not just The Norwich Bulletin, but other agencies that have looked for information -- not just on Mr. Jacques, but other individuals who may be in the same immigration status as he has been. I think that's frankly one reason why this has led to such a frustrating experience for the politicians, let alone Casey Chadwick's family.
Whether or Not There's an Active Federal Investigation of Jacques' Immigration Status
The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General did open a probe into ICE's handling of Mr. Jacques' immigration status, at the bequest of Senators Murphy, Blumenthal, and Rep. Joe Courtney, that is ongoing now as we speak. It's basically shortlisted as one of their ongoing investigations, but there's no indication of just how long that's going to take.