Jon Feere, the Director of Investigations at the Center for Immigration Studies and a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official in the Trump administration, conducted a comparative analysis between Biden’s first full fiscal year as president and Trump’s.
Based on Feere’s examination of ICE data from Fiscal Year 2018 and Fiscal Year 2022, a notable disparity emerges between the two administrations. In essence, “the Biden administration has significantly reduced immigration enforcement across various facets and has apprehended and deported a lower number of illegal aliens, both with and without criminal records, in comparison to the Trump administration.”
To be more specific, Feere highlights that in Fiscal Year 2022, Biden deported 74 percent fewer criminal illegal aliens compared to the figures during Trump’s tenure in Fiscal Year 2018.
“In [Fiscal Year 2018], ICE deported 168,058 aliens with criminal convictions (145,262) or pending criminal charges (22,796). In [Fiscal Year 2022], ICE deported only 44,096 aliens with criminal convictions (38,447) or pending criminal charges (5,649),” Feere writes:
The data clearly illustrates that the Biden administration’s decision to conduct fewer arrests of criminal aliens has resulted in fewer removals of criminal aliens and an increased threat to public safety and national security. The dramatic decrease in removals has also sent a strong message to people overseas that unlawful entry into the United States comes with a decreased risk of deportation, undoubtedly contributing to the unprecedented mass illegal immigration that is occurring under the Biden administration. [Emphasis added]
In addition to the significant reduction in the deportation of criminal illegal aliens, the enforcement landscape under the Biden administration reveals a substantial decline in arrests by ICE agents of such individuals, with a staggering 66 percent decrease compared to Trump’s inaugural year. Concurrently, ICE detainer requests for criminal illegal aliens have experienced a notable decline of 56 percent.
Furthermore, the focus on immigration-related criminal prosecutions has waned considerably under Biden’s leadership, plummeting by 70 percent in Fiscal Year 2022 when compared to Fiscal Year 2018. This decline serves as a strong indicator that the law enforcement arm of the administration is markedly less inclined to pursue legal action against illegal aliens.
According to Jon Feere, the analysis of ICE data underscores the fact that Biden’s lenient approach to enforcing federal immigration law has led to a higher number of criminal illegal aliens being permitted to remain in American communities. In his assessment, Feere emphasizes that the policies of the Biden administration have resulted in a significant cohort of criminal aliens, possessing substantial criminal records, being allowed to persist in U.S. communities.
