Behind the Poll
Deportations of illegal immigrants fall by 90% during first six-months of Biden administration
Deportations of illegal migrants to the U.S., including those who have committed serious and violent crimes, have dropped to their lowest levels in several decades during the first year of the Biden presidency.
According to newly released data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, total deportations of illegal immigrants from Jan. 21 through July 9 fell by 90% compared to the same time period in 2019 – prior to the sudden onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the course of the first half of 2021, ICE was able to deport just 6,000 illegal immigrants with serious criminal histories from the U.S. During the same period in 2019, the former administration removed closer to 20,000 illegal migrants with serious criminal pasts.
Fiscal 2021 saw a record 1.7 million arrests of illegal migrants at the U.S. border, a greater figure than any previously recorded year, and about triple the average number of arrests made annually during 2013-2019.
-By Sophie Mann
