Is ICE a rogue agency?
Recent claims have demonstrated that the Federal Agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has defied President Biden’s orders by continuing the deportations, according to several immigration rights groups published affidavits by Cameroonians claiming that they were forced to approve their deportation despite the 100 day suspension of deportation of flights of deportation issued by President Biden (Borger, 2021).
Many African asylum seekers have experienced this kind of incidents, according to Democratic Senator Van Hollen:, ICE was speeding pending flights for them, it is important to note that this persons are escaping torture and death in their home countries, they are being forced to go back into imminent danger without fair or complete consideration of their asylum requests (Van Hollen, 2021).
However, according to the Washington Post the number of immigrants detained by ICE fell more than 60 percent in February compared with the last three months of the Trump administration, it’s worthwhile noting that the Biden administration issued temporary guidelines to ICE officers narrowing their enforcement priorities to focus on national security threats, recent border-crossers and criminals with aggravated felony convictions who pose a threat to public safety, thereupon Officers must seek permission from senior supervisors in writing to arrest fugitives who do not fit those categories (Miroff and Sachetti, 2021).
In conclusion, since Joseph Biden took office he has had a lot of challenges to undertake, including ICE actions and the threats to human rights that it entails, also the fact the previous administration orders were to deport as many people as possible only makes it harder for President Biden but he has issued a few actions to mitigate this.
Valentina Ramírez