Biden administration is starting to reform ICE.
May 28, 2021
The Biden administration has substantially reined in ICE, essentially putting the agency on probation. Under the new rules cutting down on immigration enforcement, ICE carried out less than 3,000 deportations last month, this being the lowest level on record. The agency’s 6,000 officers currently average one arrest every two months. Even though the new administration has rejected calls from some Democrats to eliminate the agency entirely, Biden has restricted ICE officers’ abilities so much that their use is functionally abolished. Immigration advocates hope the release of the DHS budget this week will deeply cut ICE, but nevertheless, DHS Secretary Mayorkas has stated that he does not plan to reduce ICE staff or funding.