In a surprising turn of events, President Joe Biden, who initially sought to curb immigration enforcement, has now presided over the most extensive deportation operation in the past decade, marking a significant shift in his administration's stance on immigration.
According to the Daily Caller, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has deported over 271,000 illegal immigrants in the fiscal year 2024, the highest number since 2014. This figure is part of a consistent upward trend in deportations under the Biden administration, with approximately 142,500 removals in fiscal year 2023 and about 72,000 in fiscal year 2022.
"Every year, our workforce faces tremendous challenges but every year, they meet those challenges head-on," said ICE acting director Patrick Lechleitner. "I believe we have one of the most adaptable and agile workforces in the federal government."
However, these record-breaking numbers contrast sharply with Biden's initial approach to immigration. Upon assuming office in January 2021, Biden, who had campaigned on reversing former President Donald Trump's stringent enforcement policies, immediately signed an executive order imposing a 100-day moratorium on nearly all deportations. This move was part of a broader effort to dismantle Trump-era enforcement policies.
Despite the eventual court blockage of the 100-day moratorium order, the administration's intention to soften enforcement actions was largely realized. ICE deportations dropped to about 59,000 in fiscal year 2021, the lowest in the agency's history.
In addition to reducing interior enforcement, the Biden administration also made concerted efforts to roll back border security during its first year. Actions included halting border wall construction, ending the Remain in Mexico program, terminating Safe Third Country agreements with key Latin American countries, and other measures that effectively opened the country's doors to illegal immigration.
The Migration Policy Institute reports that the White House took 296 executive actions on immigration in its first year. These actions led to an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration into the United States.
Fiscal year 2024 was the second worst year in history for illegal immigration, with nearly three million inadmissible encounters recorded. The New York Times analysis found that net migration into the U.S. under Biden, likely to exceed eight million, has been the largest in the country's history.
However, faced with a growing public discontent over the southern border crisis and a challenging presidential race, Biden issued an executive order in June to significantly tighten border security, a move he reinforced in September.
The deportations in fiscal year 2024 included a significant number of individuals who posed a substantial risk to U.S. national security. Of the 271,000 foreign nationals removed, 237 were known or suspected terrorists, over 88,700 had charges or convictions for criminal activity, and more than 3,700 were known or suspected gang members, as per ICE's report.
As we look ahead, the deportations experienced in fiscal year 2024 may be just the beginning. Former President Trump, who is set to assume office for a second term in January, has pledged to carry out the most extensive deportation operation in American history.
His chosen border czar, former ICE acting director Tom Homan, has also hinted at an unprecedented level of removals. This suggests a return to a more stringent immigration enforcement policy, reflecting traditional conservative values of limited government and individual freedom.
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