ICE arrests dropped sharply in FY 2021 as Biden administration restricted enforcement

Interior arrests of illegal immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are expected to have dropped sharply in Fiscal Year 2021 to approximately 70,000 administrative arrests – coinciding with restrictive new rules placed on agents by the Biden administration.

FY 2021 ICE data has not yet been finalized, but it is on track to show around 70,000 administrative arrests by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) when it is eventually released, Fox News has learned.

That is down from 103,603 arrests in FY 2020, which in turn was down from 143,099 in FY 2019 and 158,581 in FY 2018. The FY 2021 data was first reported by The Washington Post, which reported that the data is the lowest level in more than a decade.

While FY 2021 includes the final months of the Trump administration, it also included with the beginning of the Biden administration -- which issued guidance for ICE agents in February that dramatically reduced the scope of enforcement priorities.

The guidance, issued again in a broader memo in September, which goes into effect in November, restricts ICE agents to arresting three categories of illegal immigrants - recent border crossers, national security threats and aggravated felons. Arrests outside those categories required approval from a superior.

The September guidance also states: "The fact an individual is a removable noncitizen therefore should not alone be the basis of an enforcement action against them."

"For the first time, our guidelines will, in the pursuit of public safety, require an assessment of the individual and take into account the totality of the facts and circumstances," Mayorkas said in a statement announcing the memo. The administration has also ended worksite raids and ICE presence outside courtrooms.

Preliminary ICE data obtained by Fox show that between Feb 18 and Sept. 21, ICE arrested 34,176 illegal immigrants and removed 24,324.

The numbers show that 22,302 were arrested in June, J... (Read more)

Latest News