Number of Illegal Immigrants Arrested by ICE Dropped More than 60% in February

Predictably, the Biden administration’s disastrous immigration policies are having a detrimental impact on the U.S. even though they have only been in place for weeks. In that short time, the nation has seen an overwhelming flood of illegal alien minors slam Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and a huge drop in adult fugitives arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Last month the administration restricted ICE from making arrests by reducing agents’ enforcement priorities and forcing them to seek written permission from senior supervisors before arresting fugitives. Not surprisingly, it has resulted in a huge decrease in illegal immigrant arrests. ICE data reviewed by a mainstream newspaper reveals that the number of illegal aliens arrested by ICE dropped more than 60% in February compared with the last three months of the Trump administration. Deportations fell by nearly the same amount, according to the figures.

In the meantime, more than 7,000 illegal immigrant minors were placed in U.S. shelters in February alone, according to government data published by a separate national news outlet days earlier. “The numbers in March indicate the steady rise has continued,” the story reads. “During the first four days of the month, more than 1,500 unaccompanied migrant minors were taken into custody.” The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a well-funded branch of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is charged with providing care for illegal aliens under the age of 18 which are classified as Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) by the government. ORR has been receiving an average of 337 UAC a day. “The figure for the first full month of the Biden administration is the most migrant children the refugee office has ever received in a February,” the news article states.

Just a few weeks ago, Judicial Watch reported that the UAC influx is prompting a health emergency on the southern border and surrounding communities. The increasing number of UAC illegally crossing the border will soon overwhelm facilities in the middle of a global pandemic, according to a congressional delegation’s letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “This surge also has the capability to cause a COVID-19 outbreak at ports of entry and other CBP facilities, which threatens the health of CBP personnel and could result in the temporary closures of ports of entry,” the legislators who sit on various House committees—including civil rights, national security, and the environment—write. “Such closures would greatly impact commerce and hamper the United States’ economic recovery,” the lawmakers continue. “The increase in illegal immigration at the southern border presents a risk not only to Border Patrol agents apprehending migrants who illegally cross the border, but also to those communities into which those individuals will relocate—likely leading to widespread COVID-19 infection and fatalities.”

Concerns associated with the new onslaught in illegal immigration are not limited to health issues. The attorney general in Montana points out that methamphetamine trafficked by Mexican drug cartels has wracked his state. “The problem will only be made worse if the Biden administration continues to allow criminals to stay in the country,” according to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. This month Knudsen and his counterpart in Arizona, sued the Biden administration to block the outrageous directive restricting ICE from arresting illegal immigrants. “Blindly releasing thousands of people, including convicted criminals and those that may be spreading COVID-19 into our state, is both unconscionable and a violation of federal law,” said Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. “This must be stopped now to avoid a dangerous humanitarian crisis for the immigrants and the people of Arizona.”

Their lawsuit asserts that Biden’s new policy will lead to an increase in criminals and drugs as well as COVID-19 in Montana and Arizona. It will also cause a hike in healthcare and law enforcement costs, according to the complaint, which lists a multitude of government agencies among defendants, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “The Removal Moratorium will directly increase the number of aliens with final orders of removal who remain in Arizona because they will not have been removed by DHS,” the complaint says. “Additionally, knowledge that DHS has issued a blanket moratorium on removals will encourage additional unauthorized immigration to Arizona, and this increase in population will increase Arizona’s incurred law enforcement and healthcare services costs related to them.” Embedded in the court document are statements from law enforcement officials who claim the states will be hurt by the new initiatives.