Biden’s ICE nominee is angry by the drop in arrest of the agency in recent months; the nominee calling this concerning, while aggressively stating that he wanted to move against illegal immigrants.
Biden’s nominee made a shocking statement going against the Biden administration’s immigration policies
On Thursday, Biden’s pick to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Sheriff Ed Gonzalez made a shocking statement. Gonzalez said that he wants to move more “aggressively” against illegal immigrants, particularly those who pose a threat to communities in the United States.
Gonzalez also added that the drop of arrests by the ICE in the past months is “concerning.” It was on Tuesday when the White House announced that Biden nominated Gonzalez to lead the ICE agency.
Biden's ICE nominee angers all sides, says drop in illegal immigrant arrests is 'concerning'https://t.co/RB1ORaTl75
— mohammed hameed (@mohammed_coo) July 16, 2021
ICE arrests declined dramatically in the past months, due to the introduction of new guidance, which narrowed down the enforcement priorities for agents. There were only 2,837 arrests in May, a number slightly lower than the number recorded in April of 2,847 arrests.
Although these numbers are higher compared to the number of arrests recorded in March and February this year, these are just a fraction of the number of arrests from the Trump administration during its final months.
Before Trump left office in January, there were 5,117 arrests made. In 6,070 were arrested in December, 5,978 in November, and 6,804 arrests in October. In February 2020, ICE (under the Trump administration) arrested 11,865 illegal immigrants; 10,431 were arrested in March, 5,793 in April, and 5,579 arrests in May.
Gonzalez stated that this drop in the number of arrests is concerning. However, they need to learn more and assess why there is a huge drop. Gonzalez added that he wanted to see more data on the factors that might have come into play to understand these numbers better.
Gonzalez wants to go after illegal immigrants who pose threats to U.S. communities.
The Biden nominee also emphasized that he would make sure that the agency is prioritizing properly and that they are going after the illegal immigrants who pose threats in our communities. Gonzalez then added that it is reasonable and appropriate to be “aggressive” in going after these immigrants.
During the hearing, Republican Josh Hawley pressed Gonzalez on whether he believes unauthorized border crossings should remain a crime & whether U.S. should deport immigrants convicted of violent crimes. Gonzalez said yes to both, which Hawley called "heartening"
— Ellen M. Gilmer (@ellengilmer) July 15, 2021
Contrary to the Biden administration’s policy about the deportation of immigrants, Gonzalez said that the illegal immigrants should be subject to removal from the United States. He also believes that those who have orders for removal should be immediately deported.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Josh Hawley stated that he appreciates the answers of Gonzalez and he was “heartened” by what he heard. Hawley told Gonzalez that the Biden administration placed him in significant tension with the administration’s immigration policies. However, the Republican senator added that he hopes Gonzalez will go and enforce the law “vigorously.”
Hawley then mentioned that he does not know what the Biden administration will think about his answers regarding the treatment of illegal immigrants, but he is happy with what he has heard so far.
