President Joe Biden’s administration will release 3,000 illegal immigrants into the country after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials accidentally posted their personal details online in November. The illegal immigrants, who were facing deportation, would not be deported until they get a chance to raise the issue in immigration court, according to the Los Angeles Times.
ICE is also planning to bring back some of the immigrants whose information was released but had already been deported.
“Although inadvertent, ICE put lives at risk through this data breach. The commitments ICE has made to those impacted will go a significant way toward mitigating the harm done, but only if ICE is diligent and transparent in making good on its promises,” said Heidi Altman, director of policy at the National Immigrant Justice Center.
Federal regulations prohibit the release of immigrants’ personal information without the approval of top Homeland Security officials. According to the LA Times, the regulation was put in place to protect many illegal immigrants who claim that they fear gangs, governments or individuals back home will retaliate against them if they find out that they left their home country.
Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for the incompetent way it is handling the border. According to the New York Post, border officials encountered 251,487 illegal aliens at the southern border in December. That figure surpassed 179,253 in December 2021 and 73,994 in December 2020.
🚨Since President Biden has taken office, there have been over 4.5 million migrant encounters at the Southwest border. And each month only gets worse.
Chairman @RepMarkGreen responds to the once again record-breaking border numbers for December👇 pic.twitter.com/66h0LUJgqy
— House Homeland GOP (@HomelandGOP) January 21, 2023
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), while responding to the latest data, said Biden has opened the border to illegal crossings, terrorism suspects, and deadly fentanyl.
🚨 Breaking → 251,487 illegal border crossings last month—that's the highest monthly total EVER recorded.
It’s no coincidence—Biden was sworn in 2 years ago today. His policies have opened our border to more illegal crossings, more terrorism suspects, and more deadly fentanyl.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 21, 2023
Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), the new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, took aim at the timing of the data’s release, noting that it was released late Friday due to Biden’s administration’s lack of integrity.
Green described the Southwest border under Biden as an “unmitigated disaster.”
