President Joe Biden’s orders to stop busting most criminal illegal immigrants are likely to cut arrests in half, leaving many sex offenders, drug pushers, kidnappers, and even murderers on American streets, according to an internal analysis of his initiative.
New data obtained by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich showed that Biden’s effort to pause arrests of illegal immigrants already inside the nation, many in U.S. jails, will result in a 50% decline in federal captures and likely deportations of them.
Shortly after taking office, Biden ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize only those suspected of terrorism, those who entered after Nov. 1, and those newly convicted of “aggravated felonies” but released.
That leaves most criminal aliens on the streets, according to Brnovich, whose lawsuit against the administration, joined by the Montana attorney general, has already forced Biden’s Homeland Security department to cough up 5,000 pages of information in the discovery phase.
Brnovich said the information suggested that up to 8,000 arrested for murder, rape, drug-dealing, and kidnapping will go free. They would have been targeted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations for deportation under former President Donald Trump.
“What they are really doing, and these documents show it, is they are literally trying to abolish ICE through administrative actions,” Brnovich said in an interview.
“I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but the reality is that this is a crisis. It is going to be a terrible tragedy for the American people when, God forbid, these individuals, that are either gang members or convicted felons, go out and do horrible crimes to our American communities. It is immoral,” he added from his office in Arizona.
In February, shortly after Biden put a 100-day stop to deportations, Arizona and Montana sued. Despite the 100-day timeline, the policy has been put in place other ways, said Brnovich.
It comes as the administration is also letting thousands of unidentified illegal immigrants into the nation. Former Trump officials fear that those include MS-13 members, sex traffickers, and drug dealers.
Among the documents Brnovich received was an internal email from Enrique Lucero, the acting executive associate director of Enforcement and Removal Operations. Asked to size up the new policy to cut arrests of criminal aliens, he wrote, “Rough estimate is book-ins would be reduced by 50% of historical numbers.”
It’s already begun. The information he gave Secrets showed that there were 8,624 arrests made in December, during the Trump administration. That number was down to 6,910 in Biden’s first full month, February.
Most of the documents were redacted, many completely, said the attorney general. “This is just the stuff we know about, and I’m telling you, it is bone chilling. And regardless of whether you’re Republican or Democrat, you should be outraged. The Biden administration is so cavalier about putting our public safety in jeopardy to score points with the far Left,” said Brnovich.
