ICE to Begin Arresting Illegal Immigrants at Immigration Hearings

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a nationwide initiative to begin arresting illegal immigrants during their immigration and asylum hearings.

According to a report by Fox News, the initiative targets illegal immigrants who have been in the United States for less than two years. Under the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) strategy, immigration cases for such individuals would be dropped, allowing ICE to place them into expedited deportation proceedings. DHS must dismiss active cases in order to proceed with expedited removal, as the process cannot occur while an immigration case is pending.

ICE sources told Fox News that the public should expect “a lot more” arrests of this kind in the coming weeks.

While the Trump administration previously focused deportation efforts primarily on illegal immigrants convicted of violent crimes, this new approach is expected to lead to an increase in deportations of those whose only offense is unlawful entry into the country.

The Washington Post reported that ICE officers in more than 20 states, including Arizona and Virginia, have been instructed to immediately arrest illegal immigrants once a judge orders them deported or after prosecutors drop their cases.

“Secretary Noem is reversing Biden’s catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets,” explained Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin. “ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been.”

Expedited removals have historically been used primarily at the US border, but the Trump administration is expanding their use throughout the country. In January, the president signed an executive order expanding expedited removals in an attempt to speed up deportations. Migrants have the opportunity to request asylum if they fear persecution in their home countries, but if denied, they will only receive a cursory review by an immigration judge rather than a full hearing.