Los Angeles, United States
US immigration authorities removed over 270,000 people last financial year, figures showed Thursday (Dec 19), weeks before Donald Trump takes office threatening to deport millions of migrants.
The tally of removals is the final annual report under President Joe Biden and is higher than at any time in the last decade — including during Trump's first term as president.
The bulk of those forced to leave the United States had crossed the southern border illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in its report.
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zelensky-voices-support-for-western-troop-deployment-in-ukraine-says-we-need-effective-mechanisms-785458">Zelensky voices support for Western troop deployment in Ukraine, says we need 'effective mechanisms'</a>
Around a third of them had criminal convictions, or were facing criminal charges.
Covering 12 months to the end of September, the period largely coincided with the presidential campaign in which Trump made clamping down on migration a key feature.
He pledged to launch the largest deportation operation in US history when he takes office on January 20.
The promise — which focused heavily on the unsubstantiated claim that migrants commit more crimes than US citizens -- proved popular with voters.
Trump has offered few details on how the operation would be carried out, with analysis suggesting it would be costly and impractical with current staffing levels.
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-rejects-republican-funding-bill-government-shutdown-looms-785424">US house rejects Trump-backed Republican funding bill, government shutdown looms</a>
"Every year, our workforce faces tremendous challenges — but every year, they meet those challenges head-on," said ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner.
Illegal crossings surged after Biden took office, though declined sharply over the last year after his administration tightened rules on claiming asylum.
Estimates suggest between 11 and 15 million people live in the United States illegally.
Trump and his supporters insist the number is far higher.
Many of those in the country without authorization work and pay taxes, often performing difficult or dangerous jobs that citizens don't want to do.
Opponents of Trump's pledged crackdown say the economy could suffer if he tries to deport illegal migrants on the scale he has suggested and say it would create labour shortages in housing, agriculture and social care.
Economists say any such shortage would push prices up, and undermine one of Trump's key election promises to reduce inflation.
Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

The tally of removals is the final annual report under President Joe Biden and is higher than at any time in the last decade — including during Trump's first term as president



Los Angeles, United States US immigration authorities removed over 270,000 people last financial year, figures showed Thursday (Dec 19), weeks before Donald Trump takes office threatening to deport millions of migrants. The tally of removals is the final annual report under President Joe Biden and is higher than at any time in the last decade — including during Trump's first term as president. The bulk of those forced to leave the United States had crossed the southern border illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in its report. Also read | Zelensky voices support for Western troop deployment in Ukraine, says we need 'effective mechanisms' Around a third of them had criminal convictions, or were facing criminal charges. Covering 12 months to the end of September, the period largely coincided with the presidential campaign in which Trump made clamping down on migration a key feature. He pledged to launch the largest deportation operation in US history when he takes office on January 20. The promise — which focused heavily on the unsubstantiated claim that migrants commit more crimes than US citizens -- proved popular with voters. Trump has offered few details on how the operation would be carried out, with analysis suggesting it would be costly and impractical with current staffing levels. Also read | US house rejects Trump-backed Republican funding bill, government shutdown looms "Every year, our workforce faces tremendous challenges — but every year, they meet those challenges head-on," said ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner. Illegal crossings surged after Biden took office, though declined sharply over the last year after his administration tightened rules on claiming asylum. Estimates suggest between 11 and 15 million people live in the United States illegally. Trump and his supporters insist the number is far higher. Many of those in the country without authorization work and pay taxes, often performing difficult or dangerous jobs that citizens don't want to do. Opponents of Trump's pledged crackdown say the economy could suffer if he tries to deport illegal migrants on the scale he has suggested and say it would create labour shortages in housing, agriculture and social care. Economists say any such shortage would push prices up, and undermine one of Trump's key election promises to reduce inflation. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Deportations under Biden administration higher than Trump era; 270k sent away in last financial year

US immigration authorities removed over 270,000 people last financial year, figures showed Thursday (Dec 19), weeks before Donald Trump takes office threatening to deport millions of migrants.

The tally of removals is the final annual report under President Joe Biden and is higher than at any time in the last decade — including during Trump's first term as president.

The bulk of those forced to leave the United States had crossed the southern border illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in its report.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zelensky-voices-support-for-western-troop-deployment-in-ukraine-says-we-need-effective-mechanisms-785458">Zelensky voices support for Western troop deployment in Ukraine, says we need 'effective mechanisms'</a>

Around a third of them had criminal convictions, or were facing criminal charges.

Covering 12 months to the end of September, the period largely coincided with the presidential campaign in which Trump made clamping down on migration a key feature.

He pledged to launch the largest deportation operation in US history when he takes office on January 20.

The promise — which focused heavily on the unsubstantiated claim that migrants commit more crimes than US citizens -- proved popular with voters.

Trump has offered few details on how the operation would be carried out, with analysis suggesting it would be costly and impractical with current staffing levels.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-rejects-republican-funding-bill-government-shutdown-looms-785424">US house rejects Trump-backed Republican funding bill, government shutdown looms</a>

"Every year, our workforce faces tremendous challenges — but every year, they meet those challenges head-on," said ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner.

Illegal crossings surged after Biden took office, though declined sharply over the last year after his administration tightened rules on claiming asylum.

Estimates suggest between 11 and 15 million people live in the United States illegally.

Trump and his supporters insist the number is far higher.

Many of those in the country without authorization work and pay taxes, often performing difficult or dangerous jobs that citizens don't want to do.

Opponents of Trump's pledged crackdown say the economy could suffer if he tries to deport illegal migrants on the scale he has suggested and say it would create labour shortages in housing, agriculture and social care.

Economists say any such shortage would push prices up, and undermine one of Trump's key election promises to reduce inflation.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience. 
&nbsp;

US immigration authorities removed over 270,000 people last financial year, figures showed Thursday (Dec 19), weeks before Donald Trump takes office threatening to deport millions of migrants.

US immigration authorities removed over 270,000 people last financial year, figures showed Thursday (Dec 19), weeks before Donald Trump takes office threatening to deport millions of migrants. The tally of removals is the final annual report under President Joe Biden and is higher than at any time in the last decade — including during Trump's first term as president. The bulk of those forced to leave the United States had crossed the southern border illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in its report. Also read | Zelensky voices support for Western troop deployment in Ukraine, says we need 'effective mechanisms' Around a third of them had criminal convictions, or were facing criminal charges. Covering 12 months to the end of September, the period largely coincided with the presidential campaign in which Trump made clamping down on migration a key feature. He pledged to launch the largest deportation operation in US history when he takes office on January 20. The promise — which focused heavily on the unsubstantiated claim that migrants commit more crimes than US citizens -- proved popular with voters. Trump has offered few details on how the operation would be carried out, with analysis suggesting it would be costly and impractical with current staffing levels. Also read | US house rejects Trump-backed Republican funding bill, government shutdown looms "Every year, our workforce faces tremendous challenges — but every year, they meet those challenges head-on," said ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner. Illegal crossings surged after Biden took office, though declined sharply over the last year after his administration tightened rules on claiming asylum. Estimates suggest between 11 and 15 million people live in the United States illegally. Trump and his supporters insist the number is far higher. Many of those in the country without authorization work and pay taxes, often performing difficult or dangerous jobs that citizens don't want to do. Opponents of Trump's pledged crackdown say the economy could suffer if he tries to deport illegal migrants on the scale he has suggested and say it would create labour shortages in housing, agriculture and social care. Economists say any such shortage would push prices up, and undermine one of Trump's key election promises to reduce inflation. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Mexico wants to sharpen existing measures in its bid to narrow a flood of Central American migrants to the US border, a top Mexican official said on Friday, ahead of planned meetings in Washington over tariffs <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/will-be-deploying-320-additional-troops-along-mexico-border-us-defence-department-214622">threatened by President Donald Trump</a>.

Trump on Thursday said he would introduce the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-plans-5-tariff-on-mexican-imports-over-illegal-immigration-222998">tariffs, starting at 5% on June 10 </a>and quickly ratcheting higher if Mexico did not substantially halt illegal immigration, largely from Central America, across the US-Mexican border.

"To avoid these flows that go from Central America to the United States in large numbers I think we can make progress with traditional mechanisms and better exercise existing rules," said Jesus Seade, Mexico`s deputy foreign minister for North America.&nbsp;

Asked if Mexico might agree to be classified as a "safe third country" where asylum seekers would have to lodge claims instead of the United States, he replied, "That is not something we are working with."

Seade declined to give further details of what more Mexico could do to stem immigration, citing the delicate nature of the talks in Washington.&nbsp;

Trump`s ultimatum is the biggest foreign policy test yet for Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and a tall order for security forces already struggling to reduce migrant flows and combat record levels of gang violence and homicide.

Trump`s pressure has spurred Mexico to step up the number of undocumented immigrants it detains and deports in recent months, but numbers reaching the U.S. border have also risen.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard travelled to Washington on Friday and is to be joined by Seade on Sunday. On Wednesday they will meet a US delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to resolve the dispute.

Seade said the Mexican team was setting up other meetings for Monday and Tuesday, and had spoken ahead of the trip with the United States Trade Representative.&nbsp;

"I had a good conversation with (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, but in reality the issue at hand has more to do with immigration," he added.

Trump has pledged to end the wave of tens of thousands of asylum seekers, including many Central American families fleeing poverty and violence, who make the arduous journey north to seek refuge in the United States.

In the biggest migrant surge on the US-Mexican border in a decade, US officials say 80,000 people are in custody, with an average of 4,500 mostly Central American migrants arriving each day, overwhelming the handling resources of border officials.

The number of migrants arrested on the southwest border last month was 98,977, a record.

As part of the US effort to stem the flow, Kevin K. McAleenan, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Guatemala government agreed to boost law enforcement cooperation, the DHS said on Friday.

"Included in the agreement is a provision on law enforcement training to improve criminal investigations that disrupt human trafficking and drug smuggling networks," the DHS said in a statement.

Such networks are often run by transnational criminal groups that profit from human suffering, it added.

A Mexican government source said McAleenan and Guatemala`s government agreed on the presence of DHS "advisers" in the Central American nation, but Mexico was not part of the pact.

Since taking office in December, Lopez Obrador has urged Trump to help him tackle migration by promoting economic development in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Mexico wants to sharpen existing measures in its bid to narrow a flood of Central American migrants to the US border, a top Mexican official said on Friday, ahead of planned meetings in Washington over tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump.

Mexico wants to sharpen existing measures in its bid to narrow a flood of Central American migrants to the US border, a top Mexican official said on Friday, ahead of planned meetings in Washington over tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump. Trump on Thursday said he would introduce the tariffs, starting at 5% on June 10 and quickly ratcheting higher if Mexico did not substantially halt illegal immigration, largely from Central America, across the US-Mexican border. "To avoid these flows that go from Central America to the United States in large numbers I think we can make progress with traditional mechanisms and better exercise existing rules," said Jesus Seade, Mexico`s deputy foreign minister for North America. Asked if Mexico might agree to be classified as a "safe third country" where asylum seekers would have to lodge claims instead of the United States, he replied, "That is not something we are working with." Seade declined to give further details of what more Mexico could do to stem immigration, citing the delicate nature of the talks in Washington. Trump`s ultimatum is the biggest foreign policy test yet for Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and a tall order for security forces already struggling to reduce migrant flows and combat record levels of gang violence and homicide. Trump`s pressure has spurred Mexico to step up the number of undocumented immigrants it detains and deports in recent months, but numbers reaching the U.S. border have also risen. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard travelled to Washington on Friday and is to be joined by Seade on Sunday. On Wednesday they will meet a US delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to resolve the dispute. Seade said the Mexican team was setting up other meetings for Monday and Tuesday, and had spoken ahead of the trip with the United States Trade Representative. "I had a good conversation with (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, but in reality the issue at hand has more to do with immigration," he added. Trump has pledged to end the wave of tens of thousands of asylum seekers, including many Central American families fleeing poverty and violence, who make the arduous journey north to seek refuge in the United States. In the biggest migrant surge on the US-Mexican border in a decade, US officials say 80,000 people are in custody, with an average of 4,500 mostly Central American migrants arriving each day, overwhelming the handling resources of border officials. The number of migrants arrested on the southwest border last month was 98,977, a record. As part of the US effort to stem the flow, Kevin K. McAleenan, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Guatemala government agreed to boost law enforcement cooperation, the DHS said on Friday. "Included in the agreement is a provision on law enforcement training to improve criminal investigations that disrupt human trafficking and drug smuggling networks," the DHS said in a statement. Such networks are often run by transnational criminal groups that profit from human suffering, it added. A Mexican government source said McAleenan and Guatemala`s government agreed on the presence of DHS "advisers" in the Central American nation, but Mexico was not part of the pact. Since taking office in December, Lopez Obrador has urged Trump to help him tackle migration by promoting economic development in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Mexico eyes steps to cut immigrant flows to US border: Official

The number of undocumented immigrants stopped at the US border with Mexico soared to more than 76,000 in February, the highest monthly level in years, US Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday.

The number of families and unaccompanied children also rose to nearly two-thirds of the total, often crossing in large groups and turning themselves into authorities to request asylum, blunting the Trump administration's tactics aimed at curbing the flow.

At 76,103, the number of people stopped at the border or detained after the crossing was up sharply from the roughly 61,000 average for the previous three months, a surprising surge for what is usually a downturn in the coldest month of the year.

It was also more than double the number of February 2018 and 3.2 times the number for February 2017, the first full month after President Donald Trump took office promising to take aim at illegal immigration.

"We are currently facing a humanitarian and national security crisis along our southwest border," said CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan.

"The vast increases in families and children coming across our border, in larger groups and in more remote areas, presents a unique challenge to our operations and facilities, and those of our partners."

In late January, the government launched a new policy to send the asylum-seekers -- nearly all from impoverished, crime-racked Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador -- back across the border into Mexico to wait while their applications are reviewed, which can take up to two years.

But implementation of that program only began in one area of the border, at Tijuana, Mexico, and has not been put in place in other areas yet.

Meanwhile, more than 70 groups of over 100 migrants each crossed the porous border last month, handing themselves into authorities immediately.

The February surge likely included many of those who joined caravans up from Central America, people whom Trump cited to justify shutting down the government for six weeks in December and January in a bid to obtain money from Congress to build more sections of a wall along the long frontier.

When Congress still refused, Trump declared a national emergency last month that would potentially enable him to divert funds for the wall from the US military and other departments.

That move remains under legal challenge.

The number of undocumented immigrants stopped at the US border with Mexico soared to more than 76,000 in February, the highest monthly level in years, US Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday.

The number of undocumented immigrants stopped at the US border with Mexico soared to more than 76,000 in February, the highest monthly level in years, US Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday. The number of families and unaccompanied children also rose to nearly two-thirds of the total, often crossing in large groups and turning themselves into authorities to request asylum, blunting the Trump administration's tactics aimed at curbing the flow. At 76,103, the number of people stopped at the border or detained after the crossing was up sharply from the roughly 61,000 average for the previous three months, a surprising surge for what is usually a downturn in the coldest month of the year. It was also more than double the number of February 2018 and 3.2 times the number for February 2017, the first full month after President Donald Trump took office promising to take aim at illegal immigration. "We are currently facing a humanitarian and national security crisis along our southwest border," said CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. "The vast increases in families and children coming across our border, in larger groups and in more remote areas, presents a unique challenge to our operations and facilities, and those of our partners." In late January, the government launched a new policy to send the asylum-seekers -- nearly all from impoverished, crime-racked Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador -- back across the border into Mexico to wait while their applications are reviewed, which can take up to two years. But implementation of that program only began in one area of the border, at Tijuana, Mexico, and has not been put in place in other areas yet. Meanwhile, more than 70 groups of over 100 migrants each crossed the porous border last month, handing themselves into authorities immediately. The February surge likely included many of those who joined caravans up from Central America, people whom Trump cited to justify shutting down the government for six weeks in December and January in a bid to obtain money from Congress to build more sections of a wall along the long frontier. When Congress still refused, Trump declared a national emergency last month that would potentially enable him to divert funds for the wall from the US military and other departments. That move remains under legal challenge.

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