SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The case of a Vietnamese ex-con accused of killing five people in San Francisco is shedding harsh light on Supreme Court rulings that are forcing the release of thousands of criminal immigrants because they can't be deported.
The rulings established that immigrants with criminal records can't be locked up indefinitely while awaiting deportation. Most must be released after 180 days, if they don't pose an immediate public safety threat.
Thirty-five-year-old Binh Thai Luc was among them. After serving time in San Quentin for an armed robbery, a judge ordered him deported in 2006.
But his home country of Vietnam never provided the travel documents required for his return. From 2009 through last April, records show Immigration and Customs Enforcement released for similar reasons about 8,740 criminal immigrants with deportation orders.
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