U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) special agent preparing to arrest alleged immigration violators. (Photo credit: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Kenyan national Billy Chemirmir eluded deportation proceedings after a series of arrests in Texas. Now that he stands accused of killing a dozen women, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is interested in him, finally.
Chemirmir, who arrived in the U.S. in the 1990s on a visa arranged by a sister, subsequently became a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR). Between 2010 and 2016, he was:
- Arrested twice for driving while intoxicated.
- Arrested on a family violence charge.
- Arrested on a criminal trespass charge at a high-end senior living complex in Dallas.
Though he served short jail terms on each charge, Chemirmir was never detained by ICE. The agency said none of those criminal acts qualified for deportation.
Then, starting in 2017, Chemirmir reportedly took his crime spree to deadly new levels. The accused serial killer now faces 12 counts of capital murder in the slaying of elderly women at senior-living homes in Dallas and Collin counties, with another 10 homicides still under investigation. The victims were all smothered with pillows and their jewelry stolen.
Citing “multiple crimes involving moral turpitude,” ICE finally requested a detainer on Chemirmir, a year after he landed back behind bars. Detainers, which are not reserved only for illegal aliens, are sought when ICE has “probable cause to believe that [a criminal suspect] is removable from the United States” or when an immigrant “pose[s] a threat to our communities.”
ICE’s belated hold on Chemirmir may be moot, however; Texas prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
While details about the case remain under wraps, the 45-year-old Kenyan maintains his innocence on all charges. Meantime, grieving friends and relatives of a dozen murdered women are left to ponder how much better things might have turned out if ICE had sent Chemirmir back to his homeland years ago.
Bob Dane, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)’s Executive Director, has been with FAIR since 2006. Over many years on thousands of radio, TV and print interviews, Bob has made the case that unless immigration is regulated and sensibly reduced, it will be difficult for America to reduce unemployment, increase wages, improve health care and education and heighten national security.
