DHS Disperses 273,396 Illegal Immigrants Around U.S. in Five Months, Thousands Blow Off Hearings

Startling figures reluctantly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) show that the Biden administration dispersed 273,396 illegal immigrants throughout the United States during a five-month period last year and issued north of 100,000 Notices to Report (NTR) to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office within 60 days. Not surprisingly, the stats reveal that over 50,000 illegal aliens failed to show up for their hearing with federal authorities by ignoring the government issued NTR that has become the laughingstock of the nation’s immigration system.

The administration began using the NTR during the 2021 border crisis, according to the Wisconsin senator who obtained the distressing records this month. Back in October the veteran lawmaker pressed DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for data regarding the number of illegal immigrants released into American communities and how many have been relocated with an NTR, parole or a Notice to Appear (NTA), which officially starts the deportation process with a court hearing before an immigration judge. Johnson, who chaired the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for six years, also requested the number of illegal aliens that have been transported by plane, train and bus to destinations throughout the U.S. by DHS or government contractors. “Media reports indicate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not just releasing illegal aliens into border towns after CBP processing, but rather transporting illegal aliens from the border to cities within the interior of the United States,” Johnson writes in his October 19 letter to Mayorkas. “It also appears that ICE might not be properly assessing these illegal aliens before releasing them into the interior of the U.S. If true, ICE’s reported actions could threaten the safety and security of all Americans.”

In correspondence attached to the records, Mayorkas apologizes to the senator for the delay in responding and reiterates a script he has used repeatedly, that DHS is committed to ensuring a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system. “The Department continues to prioritize and allocate critical, limited resources toward the Southwest Border to process noncitizens consistent with applicable legal authorities, including our immigration authorities and public health requirements,” the DHS secretary writes. “This work includes guaranteeing that the rights of all individuals, including noncitizens, are protected while safeguarding the national and border security of the United States and the safety of American communities.” The six pages of agency statistics attached to it support the senator’s assessment that the administration’s failure to secure the border has created an unprecedented migration crisis.

The records show that between March 21, 2021, and August 31, 2021, the government “processed” a record 273,396 illegal immigrants into the U.S. Of those migrants, the Biden administration issued 104,171 NTR to individuals who were then released throughout the country. More than half of the illegal aliens freed into the interior of the U.S. with an NTR during the five-month period failed to check-in with ICE. Of the 49,859 that did report to an ICE field office, only 16,293 were put into removal proceedings, according to the records. The figures also reveal that between March 21, 2021, and December 5, 2021, ICE started deportation proceedings for 50,683 illegal immigrants previously released on an NTR but failed to keep track of the overwhelming majority of cases—more than 40,000—even though the agency is a key component in removals because it plays the role of prosecutor in deportations.

As for taxpayer-funded transportation of the illegal immigrants, the figures state that 37,569 “noncitizens” were moved by bus in fiscal year 2021. Phoenix, Arizona and San Antonio, Texas served as the most popular “release point” for illegal immigrants bused by Uncle Sam with 15,779 and 15,645 respectively. The DHS figures show that 84,261 migrants were transported on planes last year as part of ICE Air Operations. Judicial Watch reported on several Biden administration schemes that covertly dispersed illegal immigrants throughout the U.S. via small regional airports or in the middle of the night without notifying local authorities or officials.