ICE’s annual report launched Dec. 19 confirmed greater than 271,000 deportations in fiscal 12 months 2024.
An estimated 11 million unlawful immigrants arrived within the nation beneath the Biden administration’s open border coverage.
That represents the best variety of unlawful immigrants eliminated since President Joe Biden took workplace in 2021 and eclipses the variety of unlawful immigrants eliminated beneath President-elect Donald Trump’s first time period, which began in 2017.
Trump and his incoming border czar, Tom Homan, have promised to launch a mass deportation marketing campaign to take away tens of millions of unlawful immigrants, beginning with criminals or these with deportation orders.
Unlawful immigration grew to become one of many high points in the course of the 2024 presidential race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who was dubbed the border czar beneath the Biden administration.
In keeping with the 2024 report, of the 271,484 removals, 237 had been identified or suspected terrorists, 3,706 had been identified or suspected gang members, and 88,763 had felony histories.
The international locations with the best variety of deportations from the US had been Mexico, 87,298; Guatemala, 66,435; Honduras, 45,923; and El Salvador, 15,284.
The report credited the rise in deportations partly to profitable repatriation negotiations with overseas nations.
The Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) and ICE’s Enforcement and Removing Operations (ERO) negotiated with governments within the Western Hemisphere, akin to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, to broaden weekly flights.
Different elements that helped facilitate deportations embody decrease advance mission notification time necessities, receiving weekend manifests, and increasing Digital Nationality Verification (ENV) program participation.
Additionally, “intensive diplomatic efforts” by DHS and ERO resulted in an elevated variety of constitution flights to international locations within the Japanese Hemisphere.
That allowed for the primary massive constitution elimination flight to China since fiscal 12 months 2018.
Moreover, constitution flights had been organized to Albania, Angola, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Mauritania, Romania, Senegal, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, in response to the report.
The report acknowledged that these actions enabled ERO to extend elimination operations and laid the groundwork for extra removals in 2024.
ICE Deputy Director Patrick J. Lechleitner praised the company’s skill to adapt to challenges.
“Our federal legislation enforcement officers, particular brokers, mission assist employees, and others are at all times tasked with doing extra regardless of having fewer sources at our disposal,” Lechleitner stated.