Some Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers say they’re being told to cut back on arrests so there are detention beds available for migrants detained at the southern border.
The directive reportedly was not issued nationwide but was given to agents in some ICE field offices, according to The Washington Times.
“We are being told to abandon detention of anyone without a Class A felony, like murder, in preparation for border flights,” one East Coast ICE officer told the Times.
It’s the latest indication that the Biden administration is anticipating a surge of illegal immigrants after the pandemic immigration policy known as Title 42 expires. The Trump-era health edict was used to quickly expel migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border nearly 2.5 million times in less than three years, according to CNN.
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