ICE vows to arrest anyone found in the country illegally under new policies

In a recent interview, Todd Lyons, the acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), shared insights about the agency’s current approach to immigration enforcement, highlighting procedural changes since the beginning of the Biden administration. In Dallas, Texas, Lyons explained that ICE is prioritizing arrests of individuals found in the U.S. illegally, which includes those without any criminal records. This marked a shift from the previous administration’s focus on serious offenders, as Lyons emphasized the frustrations stemming from so-called sanctuary cities that do not cooperate with federal enforcement. Under these policies, ICE agents must venture into communities to make arrests, which inevitably increases the number of collateral arrests, a term used to describe individuals who were not the original targets but were found to be unlawfully in the country. Currently, about 150,000 deportations have been recorded by ICE in the first half of Mr. Trump’s administration, creating an environment where even non-criminal undocumented immigrants are being apprehended. This strategy aligns with the broader Trump administration objectives to tighten immigration laws and remove unauthorized workers from the labor force, particularly targeting employers who violate these laws. Through this crackdown, officials hope to not only enforce immigration laws but also mitigate issues like forced labor and child trafficking associated with unauthorized employment. The agency has received substantial funding from Congress to facilitate these operations, with a stated goal of reaching a target of 1 million deportations in a year. As the circumstances within immigration enforcement continue to evolve, concerns also mount regarding ICE’s practices, including operations within communities and the treatment of detained individuals, leading to both support and opposition across the nation.