The U.S. has seen a massive surge in migration in the months since President Joe Biden took office, with more than 172,000 immigrants crossing the border in March — including thousands of children. But while those on the left would like to blame former President Donald Trump for the sharp uptick in border crossings, newly released data seems to suggest otherwise.
According to a report from The Daily Wire, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) unveiled data this week that showed the number of arrests at the border by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has declined sharply under Biden’s leadership.
“Cutting apprehensions in half”
Indeed, it seems the current president is doing his best to put an end to law and order at the border, despite the ongoing and crippling surge in migration there. Citing Brnovich, The Daily Wire reported Wednesday:
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) ran historical data to determine how the Biden administration’s [initial] interim guidance, which halted deportations for the first 100 days of the new administration, would have on arrests.
“That guidance,” The Daily Wire said, “is allegedly responsible for cutting apprehensions in half.”
For his part, Brnovich pointed to an internal email from Enrique Lucero, who serves as acting executive associate director of the ERO. “Rough estimate is book-ins would be reduced by 50% of historical numbers and the vast majority of book-ins would come from CBP transfers,” Lucero wrote, according to The Daily Wire. He reportedly went on to explain that a “book-in is defined as an individual entering ice custody from a single event (arrest by CBP or ICE).”
The Daily Wire published a screenshot of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrest data showing that the number of people taken into custody by ICE stood at 6,071 in December of last year, but dropped to 5,119 in January. By February, less than 2,000 individuals had been taken into custody by ICE.
“Effectively abolishing ICE”
The Daily Wire noted that the “ERO took the historical data and applied the Biden administration’s guidelines to those who were previously apprehended in fiscal year 2020.” According to its estimate, thousands of convicted felons would have been released, including 503 who committed weapons offenses, 225 sex offenders, and 85 murderers.
“The DHS records we have obtained convey a shocking disregard for the safety of American communities by the Biden Administration,” Brnovich said in a statement to The Daily Wire.
“The Biden Administration and its radical allies are effectively abolishing ICE through administrative acts,” he added.
Americans aren’t happy
Of course, Brnovich isn’t alone in his criticism of the Biden administration’s approach to immigration and border security.
A Fox News poll published this week showed that as many as 56% of Americans believe that the upswing in illegal migration is “completely” or “mostly” due to President Biden’s policies.
Fifty-two percent said they disapprove of how Biden has handled the issue of immigration overall, according to Fox.
The post ICE arrests decline under Biden despite spike in illegal border crossings: Report first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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