We’ve already looked at one of the worst of President Joe Biden’s mountain of executive orders (and it’s some pretty stiff competition to climb to the top of that heap), specifically the one ending deportations of almost all illegal aliens. But it’s hard to overstate the nature of the immediate impact that it had. When you add in his cancelation of the agreements Donald Trump struck with Honduras and Guatemala, the situation on America’s southern border becomes even more dire. But I don’t think even I allowed the news to sink in and become “real” until I read about an interview that a Virginia county Sheriff named Chuck Jenkins gave to Steve Doocy on Fox and Friends this week. He’s on the front line of immigration enforcement as part of his job and, as far as he’s concerned, Joe Biden just “abolished ICE” without having to alter a single federal law. (Daily Wire)

Appearing on Fox & Friends on Monday, a Virginia sheriff blasted the Biden administration for its policy on illegal immigration, saying that President Biden has “effectively and functionally dismantled ICE, basically telling the agents to stand down.”

Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy prompted Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins to comment on the issue, remarking, “Out on the campaign trail, Joe Biden said, ‘During the Obama-Biden administration, we deported too many people.’ … Well, he certainly has taken a big step in that direction.”

“This is absolutely outrageous, Steve,” Jenkins replied. “Americans should be angry and outraged. What he’s done is effectively and functionally dismantled ICE, basically telling the agents to stand down. There will be no enforcement.”

We’re not just talking about the people at the bottom of the deportation priority list who haven’t been found to have committed other serious crimes. They were always the last to be shipped out anyway unless ICE just got lucky picked up a “bonus” illegal alien during a raid while searching for a more high-profile target. But now there is a lengthy list of crimes that illegals can commit and still not qualify for deportation under Biden’s new marching orders.

These include (but are not limited to) DUI, assault, money laundering, property crimes, fraud, tax crimes, solicitation, and more. If you’re in the country illegally, you literally almost have to kill someone before ICE will be allowed to consider deporting you. Other than that, the orders appear to boil down to a general “stand down” instruction.

Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson reportedly sent out the new guidelines to agency leaders already. The title of this column comes from an off-the-record response provided by one ICE officer. “They’ve abolished ICE without abolishing ICE. The pendulum swing is so extreme. It literally feels like we’ve gone from the ability to fully enforce our immigration laws to now being told to enforce nothing.”

One other point that the Sheriff in the linked interview made is worth bringing up here in closing. Even under the marching orders of Donald Trump, ICE was never able to catch everyone in the country illegally. That ocean was too big to empty in four years. But as long as the criminal illegal aliens knew that ICE was out on the prowl and hunting for them, they were at least looking over their shoulders and keeping their heads down. Now, many of them will know that the coast is clear and feel that they can act with impunity. This isn’t just a problem for people living near the southern border. It impacts the residents of every city and town in America. And it looks like you’ve got a minimum of four years to get ready to deal with it on your own because ICE has been abolished.