Democracy Dies in Darkness

Immigration arrests have fallen sharply under Biden, ICE data show

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March 9, 2021 at 4:36 p.m. EST
Activist Adam de Monet wore an "Abolish ICE" T-shirt and face mask as he protested continued deportations on March 6 in Los Angeles, demanding family and children reunifications. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

President Biden’s orders to rein in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to a sharp drop in arrests by the agency last month, even though a federal judge in Texas has blocked the new administration’s 100-day “pause” on deportations.

The number of immigrants taken into custody by ICE officers fell more than 60 percent in February compared with the last three months of the Trump administration, according to data reviewed by The Washington Post. Deportations fell by nearly the same amount, ICE statistics show.