Illegal Immigrant Population Soars Under Biden: Government Data

The article discusses the increase in the number of non-detained illegal immigrants under the Biden administration. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report for fiscal 2023 shows that the number of illegal immigrants on the non-detained docket has soared from 3.7 million in FY 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in FY 2022 to nearly 6.2 million in FY 2023. The non-detained docket includes illegal immigrants who have final orders of removal or are going through removal proceedings but are not detained in ICE custody.

The number on the detained docket has also increased, from 22,000 to over 36,000 in the same period. However, the number of deportations has increased as well, but it is still a fraction of the increase in the illegal immigrant population. There were 142,580 removals in FY 23, up considerably from 72,177 in FY 22 and 59,011 in FY 21, but still down from the highs of 267,258 under the Trump administration in FY 19.

The article also mentions that ICE agents conducted an enforcement operation in June 2022, and that the agency arrested 170,590 individuals with criminal histories in FY 23. The Biden administration narrowed ICE enforcement priorities in 2021, limiting agents to arresting and deporting those who are either recent border crossers, national security threats, or public safety threats. Critics argue that this narrowed focus is part of an open-borders agenda from the administration.

The article concludes by stating that the new report is unlikely to satisfy Republican criticisms of the Biden administration, who see the enormous number of migrants being released into the U.S. and what they regard as insufficient efforts to either stop them coming in or deport them. The White House has called for an additional $14 billion in border funding, which includes additional ICE detention beds and immigration judges, but it has been held up as Republicans demand stricter limits on asylum and the administration’s use of humanitarian parole. Some Republicans have called for the inclusion of the House GOP border security bill, which would restart border wall construction and significantly limit releases of migrants into the interior.