According to a new report, immigration authorities in the United States removed the highest number of individuals residing in the country illegally in a decade, in the year 2024.
According to the latest report released on Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported the highest number of noncitizen removals since 2014 in fiscal year 2024, with a total of 271,484 individuals being removed.
The report states that among those who were deported from the country:
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- 88,763 had charges or convictions for criminal activity;
- 3,706 were known or suspected gang members;
- 237 were known or suspected terrorists; and eight were human rights violators
According to data from ICE, the deportation numbers have witnessed a significant 90% increase over the past two fiscal years.
The fiscal year 2024 concluded on September 30th.
President-elect Donald Trump and his allies have been highly critical of the Biden administration’s immigration policy and its handling of the southwest border. Trump, during his campaign, made a promise to carry out “mass deportations” of individuals residing in the country without legal documentation.
During the previous fiscal year, ICE experienced a notable increase of 19.5% in the issuance of immigration detainers for noncitizens with criminal histories. Specifically, they issued a total of 149,764 detainers, which marks a significant rise from the previous year’s figure of 125,358.
ICE requests state and local officials running jails and prisons to hold noncitizens with removal orders through a process called a detainer.
Detainers will play a significant role in the Trump administration’s efforts to deport individuals from the country. However, the issue arises when certain cities and states refuse to acknowledge these detainers, thereby establishing themselves as “sanctuary” cities or states.
In 2024, ICE prioritized its efforts on addressing violent offenders, as stated in the report.
According to the report, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of ICE, made 32,608 criminal arrests, confiscated more than 1.6 million pounds of narcotics, identified and/or aided 1,783 victims of child exploitation, and provided assistance to 818 victims of human trafficking.
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