Lawmakers Introduce Bill in Memory of Casey Chadwick

Nations that refuse or delay repatriating their own citizens who have been convicted of a crime in the United States must be held to account, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT).

With that goal in mind, the three senators have introduced legislation in the memory of a Norwich, Connecticut woman who was murdered by an illegal immigrant from Haiti who Immigration and Customs Enforcement failed to deport.

Casey Chadwick was murdered last year months after her killer, Jean Jacques, was released from prison for a previous attempted murder conviction. ICE failed to deport Jacques after his home country of Haiti refused multiple times to take him back.

“Casey Chadwick might well be alive today if her killer had been returned to Haiti rather than allowed to stay here illegally,” Blumenthal said in a statement this week. “There should be a crackdown on countries that refuse to take back their own citizens after they commit serious crimes in the United States, continuing to endanger our communities and families.”

The bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced legislation, known as “Casey’s Law,” that would require the Department of Homeland Security to create a system to identify countries chronically delay or refuse to take back their nationals convicted of a felony, violent crime, or are a threat to national security.

Once DHS determines a country is delinquent in its repatriation cooperation DHS and the State Department would then notify the country that they may deny visas to their citizens. It would also require an annual report to Congress about the progress.

“The family of Casey Chadwick and the community of Norwich know all too well the pain and suffering that comes when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fails to deport criminals,” Murphy added. “Our bill will help make sure that the Department of Homeland Security can repatriate dangerous individuals. Casey Chadwick’s brutal murder demands accountability, and this bill is an important step forward.”

Current law already provides that the Secretary of State discontinue the issuance of visas to nationals of recalcitrant countries until they take back their alien.

Chadwick’s murder was sentenced to 60 years in prison last month.