Report alerts that ICE continues to arrest immigrants without criminal record

Although the administration of President Joe Biden has modified the immigration detention guidelines so that Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) agents target people with criminal records , the agency's figures show a different story.

More than 16,000 immigrants in ICE custody have no criminal records , reveals a report from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) of Syracuse University in New York.

"Many more committed only minor offenses, such as traffic violations," TRAC said in a statement.

The report adds that the number of people detained has continued to decline in recent weeks and currently stands at 21,566, according to data recently released by the agency.

" This is considerably less than in June, when more than 27,000 migrants were detained, " it was specified. "The number of people detained represents the number of detainees in a single day, based on when the agency exports the data from its database."

Austin Kocher, assistant professor and researcher at TRAC, specializing in Freedom of Information Act applications, points out that the data is only "part of the story."

"It is important to consider how long ICE keeps people in detention ," he said. "Immigrants are currently detained for much shorter periods of time."

He adds that the average arrest is about 21 days, well below the nearly 90 days in March 2021.

"This explains why the numbers of arrests have decreased despite the fact that the number of migrants registered in detention centers by CBP has skyrocketed in recent weeks," he adds.

The information on the detention of immigrants is on two lists, one for shares of ICE and other agents of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) , although the first agency is responsible for custodies, as it is processed in the system to non - citizens .

"Although CBP has detained many more people, migrants are also being released from detention faster than before," emphasizes the expert.

Kocher acknowledges that the new policies of the Biden Administration could have a greater impact , due to pressure from activists, who demand "to reverse many of (Donald) Trump's policies " against the undocumented.

The Biden Administration's new policies on the detention of undocumented immigrants will go into effect on November 29, and while they appear to put fewer people at risk, activists and advocates alike have alerted undocumented people to have a plan in the event of a meeting with ICE agents.

Interviewed about some tips that immigrants should follow to avoid major problems if they are detained, Dr. Nelson Castillo , immigration lawyer, explained that people must assume that they “will always be at risk” of deportation, because they do not have a legal stay in the country.

"An undocumented person is in danger anywhere inside or outside his home," he warned. "At least once a year they should sit down with a lawyer to make a decision on their cases."

The expert compared this evaluation of legal options to stay in the country with the medical review that people have annually, since their safety depends, to a large extent, on that.

“It is important that the immigrant community is informed, knows its rights, that it follows the advice… and that it receives advice as soon as possible,” he insisted.

He stressed that in the event that an immigrant is detained by the agents, he must remain calm and avoid handing over information that complicates his case.

"If the person voluntarily gives information to the immigration officer, it can be used against him," he says. "If they go through it and find your identifications, like a foreign passport, they can use it against you."

Dr. Vargas insisted that immigrant advocates must know the complete history of their clients, to avoid surprises in court.

"If that person is arrested (he must) tell his story to the lawyer and explore the options to obtain an immigration benefit," he said.