ICE Confirms 65,000 Deportations, Majority With Criminal Records
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed that it has removed 65,682 illegal immigrants from the United States since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year.
The agency revealed that a large majority of those arrested included individuals with prior criminal convictions or charges.
ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons said that three-quarters of the arrests were of criminal illegal immigrants, highlighting the effort as part of a measure to ensure public safety and national security.
“The brave men and women of ICE protect our families, friends and neighbors by removing threats to our communities,” Lyons stated.
Approximately 2,288 of those arrested were identified as gang members from notorious groups such as MS-13, 18th Street, and Tren de Aragua.
The statistics revealed arrests of individuals convicted of serious crimes, including 1,329 sex offenses and 498 murders.
A further 9,639 faced charges or convictions for assaults, 6,398 for DWIs or DUIs, and 1,479 for weapon offenses.
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ICE Deputy Director Madison D. Sheahan said the efforts have also targeted workplaces employing illegal workers.
Since January 20 this year, over 1,000 illegal workers have been arrested, and fines exceeding $1 million have been imposed on non-compliant businesses.
Sheahan went on to note a recent operation that dismantled a human smuggling network, which aided the illegal entry of hundreds each year, bypassing governmental scrutiny.
As we reported earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it will spend up to $45 billion over the next two years to expand its illegal migrant detention program across the U.S.
According to the proposal request, the funds will be used to build more facilities and add services.
The New York Times reported that the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement made the requests.
Just The News reports that it is asking for proposals from contractors for items and services such as new detention facilities, transportation, and security guards.
While ICE does not have the budget to fulfill all the requests, if adequately funded, the spending would represent more than a sixfold increase in such expenditure.
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