Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made a significant arrest of 171 unauthorized noncitizens in 25 major cities. The individuals arrested had various criminal records, including charges of murder, homicide, and assault against children. This enforcement effort by ICE aims to ensure the safety and security of these cities.
ICE Acting Director Patrick J. Lechleitner informed reporters on Thursday that they aimed to remove these dangerous individuals from the streets.
The Biden administration has faced criticism from Republicans for altering its immigration enforcement priorities. The new approach no longer considers crossing the border illegally as sufficient grounds to prioritize the removal of noncitizens. Instead, the focus of the ICE has shifted towards targeting recent border crossers and individuals with criminal records.
According to Lechleitner, the organization operates based on intelligence and will focus on targeting specific individuals according to their priorities.
According to Daniel Bible, the head of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, his agency is actively exploring the use of advanced technology to streamline the immigration process for migrants apprehended at the border. The goal is to make it easier for individuals to check in and navigate through the immigration adjudication process.
Bible mentioned that in cities like New York and Miami, where there is a high volume, it has been a challenge to schedule people quickly. However, they are using technology to help streamline the process.
According to the agency, ICE arrested 73,822 noncitizens with criminal records last year. However, ICE officials claim that they require additional resources to effectively target all criminal noncitizens.
