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| John Kalymon, one of the 10 suspected Nazi war criminals still living in the United States |
At least ten nazi war criminals who were ordered to leave the United States never left and no one did anything about it, according to a new report.
Four of those criminals are still alive and living in the United States today. All remained eligible for public benefits such as Social Security until all their appeals are exhausted, and in one case beyond.
The reason behind this is that while the U.S. wanted them out, no country was willing to take them in.
This is currently the case with Vladas Zajanckauskas in Sutton, Massachusetts, Theodor Szehinskyj in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Jakiw Palij in New York City, and John Kalymon in Troy, Michigan, among others.
All four have been living in the same areas for years, stripped of their U.S. citizenship and have received deportation orders, but were able to carry on with their lives in a family setting. Dozens of other Nazi war crimes suspects in the U.S. were also entitled to Social Security and other public benefits for years as they fought deportation.
U.S. can deport those involved in Nazi war crimes, but they cannot put these people on trial because the alleged crimes did not take place on U.S. soil. The responsibility for prosecuting these criminals fall on the countries in which the crimes were committed or ordered, if the suspects never end up there.
In the 34 years since the Department of Justice created an office to find and deport suspected Nazis, the agency has initiated legal proceedings against 137 people. Less than half, 66, were eliminated by deportation, extradition or voluntary departure.
At least 20 died while their cases were pending. In at least 20 cases, U.S. authorities agreed not to follow up or enforce deportation orders, often due to poor health, according to a 2008 report by the Justice Department. In some cases, the U.S. government agreed not to file a deportation process, in exchange for cooperation in other investigations, the report said.