U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested fewer people this fiscal year, as the agency shifted its priorities to the U.S.-Mexico border, the agency announced Wednesday.
By the numbers: ICE officers arrested approximately 143,000 undocumented immigrants in fiscal year 2019, nearly 13,000 fewer than the year prior. The agency deported more than 267,000 people — an increase from FY 2018. The number of people apprehended or not admitted at the border, meanwhile, increased by 68% from the previous fiscal year.
What they're saying:
“There is no doubt that the border crisis, coupled with the unwillingness of some local jurisdictions that choose to put politics over public safety has made it more difficult for ICE to carry out its congressionally mandated interior enforcement mission.”
ICE acting director Matt Albence
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