Top GOP House Oversight and Reform Committee members asked acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan Thursday to release information on the criminal records of people traveling in so-called migrant caravans.



In a letter signed by Rep. Jim Jordan James (Jim) Daniel JordanHouse panel pulls Powell into partisan battles over pandemic Sunday shows preview: Justice Ginsburg dies, sparking partisan battle over vacancy before election House passes resolution condemning anti-Asian discrimination relating to coronavirus MORE (Ohio), the top Republican on the committee, and subcommittee ranking members Reps. Mark Meadows Mark Randall MeadowsAnxious Democrats amp up pressure for vote on COVID-19 aid Pelosi hopeful COVID-19 relief talks resume 'soon' The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November MORE (N.C.), Jody Hice Jody Brownlow HicePelosi must go — the House is in dire need of new leadership House Republicans investigating California secretary of state's contract with Biden-linked firm GOP lawmakers want answers from Disney on Mulan, China MORE (Ga.), Chip RoyCharles (Chip) Eugene RoyPelosi must go — the House is in dire need of new leadership GOP lawmakers want answers from Disney on Mulan, China Freedom Caucus member Chip Roy touts bipartisanship in first campaign ad MORE (Texas), Michael Cloud (Texas) and James ComerJames (Jamie) R. ComerHouse panel advances bill to ban Postal Service leaders from holding political positions House Republicans investigating California secretary of state's contract with Biden-linked firm GOP lawmakers want answers from Disney on Mulan, China MORE (Ky.), the Republicans say Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data provided to them "shows that hundreds of migrants approaching the southern border have criminal histories."



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The Republicans in the letter also requested monitoring of caravans traveling through Mexico and daily summaries of federal human smuggling reports going back to 2014.



Saagar Enjeti contributed to this report. According to a March analysis by the Cato Institute , incarceration rates for immigrants in the country illegally were about half that of natural-born U.S. citizens in 2017.The Republicans in the letter also requested monitoring of caravans traveling through Mexico and daily summaries of federal human smuggling reports going back to 2014.Saagar Enjeti contributed to this report.

According to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report from October 2018 cited in the letter, an 8,000-strong migrant caravan approaching California had 660 individuals with criminal records traveling within it, including "nearly 40 convicted of assault or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon."The letter also cites a January 2019 CBP report of a caravan with 3,300 members, of whom 860 had U.S. criminal histories, including "over 20 convicted of assault or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, nearly 30 convicted of sexual offenses, two convicted of violence against law enforcement, and one convicted of attempted murder."In the letter obtained by The Hill, the Republicans ask McAleenan to provide the arrest warrants and court documents of "all migrants in the January 2019 and October 2018 caravans believed to have criminal histories."