Since the beginning of June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested and deported more than 300 illegal immigrants, who are also registered sex offenders, through efforts conducted via Operation SOAR (Sex Offender Arrest and Removal).
According to the official website, Operation SOAR is a “coordinated enforcement” operation with ERO’s Fugitive Operations Support Center that aids in arresting and removing “noncitizen sex offenders.”
Reporting to have limited resources that were further narrowed under the Biden Administration, ICE’s acting director Tae Johnson stated that the updated guidelines allow the agency to refocus their efforts toward increasing “national security, border security, and public safety.” The agency is primarily focused on hunting down the most imminent, direct threats, which include noncitizen sex offenders across the country.
“Our officers have prioritized the arrest of noncitizens who pose the greatest threat to the security and safety of our communities,” Johnson reported in a statement. “By focusing our resources on those who have committed sex crimes and demonstrated predatory behavior, we reinforce our steadfast commitment to enhancing public safety across the United States.”
These efforts come in response to Biden’s executive orders that barred ICE agents from fulfilling their duties that included arresting those who violate our immigration laws for 100 days.
Since taking office, the Biden Administration has reversed or paused many Trump-era executive orders and memos. Most notably, Biden reinstated the “catch-and-release” policy, and cancelled Operation Talon, which targeted illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes, among other important policies that helped combat the negative consequences of border surges.
Biden’s move to cancel Operation Talon in February caused so much tension that 20 attorney generals across the country signed on to a letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Biden administration to reinstate it immediately.
Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have repeatedly denounced the border crisis, with many Republican lawmakers dubbing it the ‘Biden Border Crisis’ due to record numbers of illegal immigrants taking advantage of Biden’s open border policies which have, unfortunately, resulted in a surge in sex and human trafficking.
Federal agencies are reportedly experiencing a lack of sufficient resources to process thousands of undocumented migrants on a daily basis — coincidentally as COVID-19 positive cases continue to increase.
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reported on Monday that local Border Patrol stations in McAllen, Texas are 585% over capacity and that there have been more than 8,000 apprehensions in the Rio Grande Valley over the weekend.
However, the border crisis does not appear to be a priority for the current administration as apprehensions at the southern border continue to increase on a daily basis with no action plan to bring it to an end.