According to newly released statistics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), originally requested by The Washington Post, arrests of illegal aliens increased 32.6 percent during the first several weeks of the Trump Administration.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 21,362 illegal aliens from January 20 through March 13, an increase of 5,258 from the same period in 2016.
Nearly 75 percent of those arrested, a total of 17,921, are criminal illegal aliens. The number of non-criminal illegal aliens arrested has more than doubled.
A spokeswoman for ICE said that the focus remains primarily on those who are a danger to the security of U.S., anyone who is in the U.S. illegally can face deportation.
“…As [Homeland Security] Secretary [John F.] Kelly has made clear, ICE will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement,” spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea said in a statement.
The total number of illegal aliens who have been deported, not just arrested, is down by 1.2 percent compared to the same period last year. Eleza explained it takes time to move forward with deportation proceedings after arresting an illegal alien. Overall, the total number arrested increased by 15 percent compared to the same period last year.
