The Biden administration has been facing a huge crisis at the southern border, with around 200,000 migrant encounters each month for the past five months. There have been more than two million migrant encounters this fiscal year alone.
The administration has been chastised by Republicans for its reverting of Trump-era border policies, including a narrowed scope for ICE arrests and deportations.
In FY 21, ICE detained 74,082 noncitizens and deported 59,011 — down from 103,603 arrests and 185,884 removals in FY 20 and 143,099 arrests and 267,258 deportations in FY 19.
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The L.A. Times reported Friday that, with the mounting political pressure to be harsher on immigration, White House officials this year pushed ICE to deport more illegal immigrants under a "detained docket" that focuses on those who have recently crossed as part of a family unit.
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The Times reported that about 60,000 had entered the docket since it was launched in May 2021, but just 150 have been deported through July. In March, Department of Homeland Security officials reportedly drafted options to deport more illegal immigrants under the program — including detaining them in hotels, 48-hour deportations and fining those who did not leave.
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However, an internal DHS document received by the outlet noted poor optics of deporting families. It never increased its deportations — although sources told the Times the pressure remains from the White House.
"Picking up a kicking and screaming child while mom and/or dad are restrained and ushered to the transport vehicle will not improve public perception of ICE or views around immigration enforcement," the document said.
In response to a query about the report, a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the administration is "committed to enforcing our immigration laws in a safe, orderly, and humane way."
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"This includes working to process asylum claims expeditiously, granting relief where it is merited, and removing those found not to have a legal basis to remain in the United States," the spokesperson said.
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The Biden administration has centered its efforts on fixing legal asylum pathways that it says were shut down by the Trump administration and by targeting "root causes" of the migrant crisis like poverty, corruption and violence in Central America. It has recently touted its efforts to crack down on smuggling.
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However, its moves to revoke the Remain-in-Mexico policy, stop most border wall construction, and restrict ICE’s deportation priorities have led to Republicans blaming the Biden administration for the dramatic surge in migrants that has exploded under its watch.
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