
As the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported Wednesday, deportations, removals, and returns of undocumented immigrants from the United States to other countries have dramatically increased during the first six months of the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
The figures for the first half of this fiscal year show a total of 225,483 removals, removals, and returns of undocumented immigrants, a 32.7% increase compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, 2021-2022. This includes almost 66,000 removals, with 48,381 of them through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removal flights in the same time frame.
In addition, CBP conducted more than 1.079 million removals of immigrants through the southwest border under the Title 42 public health order. Combined with ICE removals, DHS deported, removed, or returned more than 1.2 million immigrants in the first half of the 2023 fiscal year.
DHS warned that despite the end of Title 42 enforcement at the border, it will continue to enforce US immigration laws using expedited removal proceedings under Title 8 authorities. These proceedings carry harsher consequences, such as a ban on reentry to the United States of at least five years and possible criminal prosecution for illegal reentry.
The DHS also advised immigrants who have already been expelled not to attempt to re-enter the United States without using legal channels to do so. This is because certain countries have agreed to receive more return flights of immigrants, and those with a final removal order will be returned immediately.
The sharp rise in deportations, removals, and returns in the first half of this fiscal year indicates that the DHS is taking a hard line against undocumented immigrants and is determined to enforce US immigration laws. As the Biden administration continues to grapple with the issue of immigration, it is clear that DHS is committed to protecting the country’s borders and ensuring the safety of its citizens.