President Joe Biden’s administration is seemingly concealing the number of illegal aliens arrested and deported from the United States over the last 12 months.
At the end of each year, for more than a decade, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency releases a report detailing the number of illegal aliens arrested and deported from the U.S. in the prior Fiscal Year.
In 2020, former President Trump’s last full year in office, the annual year-end ICE report revealed that more than 104,000 illegal aliens, including nearly 700 MS-13 Gang members, had been arrested despite the Chinese coronavirus crisis and close to 200,000 illegal aliens were deported from the U.S., including 4,200 gang members.
As of January 6, ICE has yet to release its annual report for Fiscal Year 2021.
Former ICE official Jon Feere, with the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News’ Adam Shaw that he suspects the annual report is being withheld to manipulate arrest and deportation data, making it difficult to compare to prior years.
“They’re going to do their best to manipulate it to put the best light possible on their horrifically dangerous policies and that takes some time to do,” Feere said.
ICE officials have said the annual report is in the final review stage.
As Breitbart News has chronicled over the last year, Biden has imposed broad so-called “sanctuary country” orders that prevent ICE agents from arresting and deporting most of the 11 to 22 million illegal aliens living throughout the U.S.
“The fact an individual is a removable noncitizen, therefore, should not alone be the basis of an enforcement action against them,” the orders state. Experts have long projected that the orders have likely halted most interior immigration enforcement.
When rolling out the orders, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the policy ensures that “the majority” of illegal aliens in the U.S. “are not priorities for removal.”
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus admitted during a congressional hearing last year that the orders are likely encouraging illegal immigration.
In addition to the sanctuary country orders, Biden has imposed “protected areas” for illegal aliens where ICE agents are barred from arresting and deporting them. These areas include protests, rehab facilities, playgrounds, and homeless shelters.
Biden has also banned ICE agents from arresting illegal aliens at most courthouses.
Prior reports have indicated that Biden’s sanctuary country orders successfully helped free illegal aliens throughout 2021 that were charged with or convicted of child sex crimes, armed robbery, drunk driving, burglary, cocaine trafficking, grand theft auto, heroin trafficking, credit card fraud, money laundering, and other crimes.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.