Republican voters, it’s time to take notice. The Biden administration’s immigration policies are causing the number of deported criminal illegal immigrants to decline, according to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Moreover, the agency is lowering targets for deportations in upcoming years.
During the last full year of President Trump’s tenure, ICE aimed to deport 151,000 convicted criminal illegal immigrants and deported just over 100,000. In contrast, under President Biden’s leadership, deportation targets have decreased.
In fiscal 2021, the target was 97,440, but only 39,149 were deported. The target dropped further in 2022 to 91,500, with just over 38,000 deportations.
Looking ahead, ICE has set even lower targets for fiscal 2023 and 2024, with only 29,393 deportations planned for each year. The agency cites efforts to reduce factors that detract from removal performance, but many believe that policy changes by the Biden administration have had a more significant impact on these numbers.
Biden’s administration has imposed new restrictions on ICE agents, limiting their actions to arresting and deporting three categories of illegal immigrants: recent border crossers, national security threats, and public safety threats. These restrictions have contributed to the decline in deportations. Arrests have fluctuated, partly due to ICE resources being diverted to assist Customs and Border Protection at the southern border.
Joe Edlow, a former senior DHS official during the Trump administration, criticized the Biden administration’s approach, stating that immigration enforcement has taken a back seat to open borders policymaking.
Additionally, ICE plans to reduce the average daily population of detained adults by 9,000, claiming that this reduction will still allow them to perform their duties. The agency also intends to scale down its use of Alternatives to Detention (ATD), a program that has expanded during the ongoing border crisis. These changes come as the Title 42 public health order is set to expire in May, which could result in a new wave of migration.
The Biden administration’s policies have raised concerns about the safety and security of American citizens. It’s essential to hold our government accountable and demand more effective immigration policies.
