The number of deportations by the nation’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April fell to the lowest number ever recorded, according to data obtained by the Washington Post.
The Post noted the agency deported 2,962 immigrants in April.
The low April deportations represent a 20 percent decline from the previous month, when 3,716 people were deported by ICE.
The Post noted that this decline “comes as illegal border crossings remain at a 20-year high.”
During President Joe Biden‘s first week in office, he signed an executive order stopping most deportations for 100 days.
More than 171,000 illegal immigrants crossed the nation’s southern border in March alone.
According to Trac, a nonpartisan immigration data tracker hosted by the Syracuse University, ICE had 15,136 people detained in its system as of April 14.
That number represents an increase over the 13,914 detainees as of March 31, according to The Hill.
The New York Post estimated, “Figures show that in the past seven months, ICE carried out about 37,000 deportations, which would put the agency on pace for fewer than 55,000 deportations for fiscal year 2021 – the first time that number will have dipped below 100,000, the report said.”
In February, White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted the Department of Homeland Security would release new guidelines directing ICE to shift its focus away from illegal immigrants collared for crimes including driving under the influence, tax fraud, simple assault, drug offenses and solicitation.
“The priority for the enforcement of immigration laws will be on those who are posing a national security threat, of course, a public safety threat, and new arrivals,” Psaki said at a Feb. 7 briefing.
Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also banned ICE from arresting in the courthouse.
“The increased arrest of civil migrants in courts during the previous administration had a chilling effect on the willingness of individuals to come to or cooperate with law enforcement agencies,” Mayorkas said in a statement at the time, according to Texas News Today.
