ICE lowers the number of deportations to its lowest level in years.
Under the policy that it will detain and deport only people with a criminal record or who are a threat to national security, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) agency lowered the number of deportations in the last month.
The agency deported 2,962 immigrants in April, representing a 20 percent drop from March, when 3,716 foreigners were sent home , according to preliminary revealing data by The Washington Post .
This is the first time that the monthly figure has fallen below 3,000 deported immigrants, the report said.
He adds that this occurs at the same time that the crossing of undocumented immigrants has grown in recent months , registering its highest increase in the last 20 years, according to the Post's analysis .
ICE deportations peaked at more than 400,000 in 2013, it is exposed, but averaged around 240,000 during the first three years of Donald Trump's rule , which sparked fear but did not expel as many people as it had feared.
Ronald Vitiello, who was ICE's acting director in 2017 and 2018, told the Post that the current administration is sending the signal that immigration law is "not a priority."
ICE has new deportation rules, aimed at criminals , although those who entered the country as of January 1, 2021, could be deported, even if they do not have a criminal record.
The agency has also relaxed its operations in sensitive areas, such as in or near the courts , due to the impact they have on communities whose migrant members fear reporting crimes or witnessing crimes.
In addition, the Trump Administration's failed policy of fining immigrants with final deportation orders , estimated at 1.2 million, was canceled .
The agency has sought to gain the trust of communities, including the undocumented without a criminal record, by noting that it will not obtain information from those who sponsor unaccompanied children and go for them to the care centers of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Despite the relaxation of his policies, the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, has not shown interest in promoting the disappearance of the agency , but rather in making modifications.
"I am one hundred percent against the abolition of ICE," he told agency employees in early April. “It is the opposite of what I think should happen. I believe that we must strengthen our policies and practices and communicate more effectively what we do and why we do it ”.
Right-wing groups, including several Republicans, have criticized the Joe Biden administration's policies on deportations, but activist groups have had weight in their calls on the current government to stop raids and expulsions from the country .
The immigration agency also had a setback in the Supreme Court, which prohibited it from sending "separate" notifications about deportation to an immigrant , which was seen by activists as a trap to achieve expulsions.