NumbersUSA: Under Biden Administration, ICE Reduces Arrests & Deportations of Illegal Aliens

The new rules the Biden Administration has placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement have resulted in the department targeting 75% fewer illegal aliens. A report by NumbersUSA, a non-partisan immigration-reduction organization, explains that both law enforcement and immigration officials have remarked on the danger this situation creates for the communities into which criminal aliens are released.

As a grassroots advocacy group, NumbersUSA works with its members to lobby policymakers on immigration related issues, with a goal of supporting immigration policy that focuses on reducing immigration levels to historical averages. The group cites the conclusions of two major congressional studies focused on immigration to support its contention that excessive immigration harms the standard of life of existing citizens and legal immigrants and damages the environment.

Data released by Mark Brnovich, Attorney General of Arizona, shows that ICE has entered only 2,500 detainers to local jails per month recently compared to more than 10,000 a month under the Trump Administration. According to the AG, this has resulted in thousands of criminal illegal aliens who previously would have been slated for deportation to instead be released in cities across the country.

A report by the Washington Examiner cites a senior ICE official who characterized this changed approach as dangerous to local communities in a deposition for Arizona’s Attorney General. Included in the depositions is Albert Carter, former acting Phoenix Field Office Director for ICE.

The Examiner report states: “Carter said the cut in detainers hurts local security and was not done because of a lack of resources, one reason given by Biden’s team for the change in policy.”

The Examiner quoted from the recent deposition pertaining to the danger posed by individuals targeted with detainers by ICE:

Question: OK. Is the mission of lodging immigration detainers important to public safety in the communities where those aliens are located?

Carter: I would say yes, sir, absolutely.

Question: Will reducing the lodging of immigration detainers likely harm public safety for communities in which the aliens are ultimately released?

Carter: I would say absolutely.

During the court hearing on May 27, Carter explained that funding cuts were not the reason for the change in policy:

Question: Was there a drop-off in resource constraints — excuse me. Were resource constraints responsible for the drop-off in February 2021?

Carter: No, sir.

Brnovich was quoted by the Washington Examiner as saying: “Basically, it shows you that they are getting orders from the Biden administration not to go out and arrest people and deport them.”

Carter was deposed as part of Brnovich’s investigation into the legality of the Biden Administration’s policy of only deporting illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. after November 1 if they are suspected of terrorism and those recently convicted of “aggravated felonies.” According to Brnovich, these policies enable thousands of criminal illegal aliens to be released into communities around the country instead of being deported.

In conclusion, Brnovich stated: “I believe in redemption, I do. But I know from my history as a gang prosecutor that if you start releasing felons, rapists, arsonists, people that have been convicted of serious crimes, a lot of those folks are going to go out and commit more crimes. So it’s going to be a problem.”

About NumbersUSA

NumbersUSA, based in Washington D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, is the largest grassroots organization focused on immigration reduction in the U.S. The nonpartisan group has more than eight million participants including conservatives, liberals and moderates. Its members are encouraged to persuade public officials that the country stands to benefit from reducing immigration numbers toward traditional levels, thereby enabling current and future generations to enjoy a standard of living that isn’t negatively impacted by excessive immigration numbers.

Learn more about NumbersUSA: https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0002719/