President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is under scrutiny for leaving detention space unfilled, resulting in the release of criminal illegal aliens into American communities after crossing the United States-Mexico border.
As of April 25, DHS had just over 34,000 illegal aliens in its detention facilities, a fraction of the 6.2 million illegal aliens in deportation proceedings living throughout the U.S. on ICE’s non-detained docket by the end of Fiscal Year 2023.
Despite Congress approving 41,500 ICE beds for the remainder of the fiscal year, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requested only 25,000 beds. Mayorkas further requested a reduction in bed space for Fiscal Year 2025, justifying the request by citing policy priorities limiting detention for noncitizens not deemed a threat to national security or public safety.
RJ Hauman of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement criticized Biden’s DHS for failing to utilize resources to their full capacity, particularly in terms of detention space. He emphasized the importance of expanding custodial detention and GPS monitoring for effective immigration enforcement.
Recent cases have underscored the consequences of releasing illegal aliens into the U.S. interior instead of detaining them. Incidents such as Grevi Geovani Rivera Zavala from Honduras being sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping a teenage girl in Alabama highlight the dangers of this approach.
Hauman condemned the administration for prioritizing limited resources over the safety of American citizens. Despite calls from Acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner to increase bed space to 50,000, Mayorkas has been adamant about keeping detention space at stagnant levels.
With record levels of illegal immigration under Biden’s administration, the lack of adequate detention space poses a serious threat to national security. Lawmakers have voiced concerns about the administration’s handling of immigration enforcement and its impact on public safety.
In conclusion, the failure to properly utilize detention space has resulted in dangerous criminals being released into American communities, posing a significant risk to the safety and security of the nation.
