In a briefing call with media on Wednesday, ICE officials said agents had arrested about 33,000 illegal aliens across the United States from Jan. 20 to March 10 — surpassing the 33,000 at-large arrests of illegal aliens ICE made under former President Joe Biden in Fiscal Year 2024.
The arrests, spanning less than two months, also outpace the number of criminal illegal aliens Biden’s ICE agency arrested in Fiscal Year 2024, when just 32,000 were taken into custody.
Of those arrested, more than 1,000 were suspected gang members — far more than the 483 gang members arrested in the same time period last year — and 39 were suspected terrorists.
An ICE official said the arrests were made through the 287(g) program, where local law enforcements contract with ICE to keep criminal illegal aliens off their streets, at-large arrests, and the agency’s Criminal Alien Program.
ICE leadership announced last month that from Jan. 20 through Feb. 21, more than 20,000 illegal aliens had been arrested by the agency.
Officials also said that while Congress has funded about 47,000 ICE beds to hold illegal aliens in custody, the agency is “maxed out” and needs more space — a critical component of federal immigration enforcement.
“We are working with Congress to get more beds,” a senior ICE official said, noting that the agency is looking to massively expand detention space but needs more funding from Congress.
“Going forward, you’re going to see the bed space increase and releases go by the wayside,” the senior official continued.
Still unclear is the total number of deportations of illegal aliens since Trump took office in late January. When asked about the total, a senior ICE official said he did not have it in front of him but said such efforts are “stronger and higher than ever.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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