Fellow Republicans, our nation’s safety is at stake as the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies have resulted in a decline in the deportation of convicted criminal illegal immigrants.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data reveals that not only have deportations decreased, but the agency is also lowering targets for the coming years.
During President Trump’s last full year in office, ICE aimed to deport 151,000 convicted criminal illegal immigrants, managing to deport just over 100,000.
However, under President Biden, deportation targets have fallen. In fiscal 2021, the target was 97,440, with only 39,149 deported. In 2022, the target dropped to 91,500, and just over 38,000 were deported.
ICE has set even lower targets for fiscal 2023 and 2024, aiming for 29,393 deportations each year.
The agency attributes this decrease to efforts to reduce factors detracting from removal performance. However, many argue that the Biden administration’s policy changes have played a significant role in these declining numbers.
New restrictions on ICE agents have limited their actions to arresting and deporting three categories of illegal immigrants: recent border crossers, national security threats, and public safety threats.
This has contributed to the drop in deportations, with arrests fluctuating due to ICE resources being redirected to the southern border.
Additionally, ICE plans to reduce the average daily population of detained adults by 9,000 and scale down its use of Alternatives to Detention (ATD).
These changes coincide with the expiration of the Title 42 public health order in May, which could result in a new surge of migration.
The Biden administration’s immigration policies are causing concern for the safety and security of American citizens.
It is crucial for us, as Republicans, to hold our government accountable and demand more effective immigration policies.