While deportations of family units rose, the United States deported fewer adult individuals and unaccompanied minors last fiscal year. Lucero attributed the decline in deportations to limited detention space during the pandemic and fewer referrals from the border. That tally includes many migrants who attempted to enter the United States more than once. But Lucero emphasized that ICE’s priority remains public safety, and that most of the 62,700 people deported from the interior of the United States last year had criminal charges or convictions. Deportations from the interior of the United States — primarily people who have been arrested for crimes — also remained lower than ICE officials had hoped.

Source: Washington Post December 24, 2020 03:00 UTC