The Biden administration's intensified immigration enforcement efforts have resulted in the arrest of over 3,500 undocumented migrants in the week since Trump returned to office. ICE officers are targeting individuals with criminal convictions and national security threats, but also making 'collateral arrests' of undocumented individuals encountered during operations.
The Biden administration has intensified immigration raids, arresting over 3,500 undocumented migrants since last Thursday, the day Trump returned to office. The new focus on enforcement comes as part of the administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, with federal officers operating with a renewed sense of purpose.
A dozen officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) started their day before dawn on Monday in a Maryland parking lot, then fanned out to the Washington suburbs to find their targets. The individuals targeted were wanted in El Salvador for homicide, convicted of armed robbery, found guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material, and another with drug and gun convictions. All were in the country illegally. 'The worst go first,' Matt Elliston, director of ICE's Baltimore field office, said of the agency's enforcement priorities. The Associated Press accompanied the officers, providing a glimpse into how their work has changed under the White House's commitment to deporting a significant number of immigrants residing in the U.S. without authorization.While people considered public safety and national security threats remain the top priority, a major shift has occurred. Under the Trump administration, officers can now arrest individuals without legal status if they encounter them while searching for migrants targeted for removal. This practice, known as 'collateral arrests,' was banned during the Biden administration. 'We're looking for those public safety, national security cases. The big difference being, nobody has a free pass anymore,' Elliston stated. The number of collateral arrests has fluctuated, he said. By the end of Monday across Maryland, ICE had arrested 13 people, nine of whom were targets and four were individuals encountered during the course of the morning. Among the 'collaterals,' one had an aggravated theft conviction, another had been previously deported, and two others had final orders of removal.The administration has emphasized the participation of other agencies in immigration operations over the weekend, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), all part of the Justice Department. Emile Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, observed arrests in Chicago on Sunday, demonstrating the Justice Department's increasing involvement. ICE's daily arrests, averaging 311 in the year ending September 30, remained relatively stable in the initial days following Trump's return to office but then sharply increased to 956 on Sunday and 1,179 on Monday. If this trend continues, it would mark the highest daily average since ICE began keeping records. Trump has also lifted longstanding guidelines that restricted ICE from operating at 'sensitive locations' like schools, churches, or hospitals. This decision has raised concerns among many migrants and advocates, who fear children may be traumatized by witnessing their parents' arrests at school drop-off points, or that migrants requiring medical care will avoid hospitals for fear of being arrested.Elliston refuted these concerns, stating that ICE entering these locations has been extremely rare. During his 17 years on the job, he said he had only entered a school once, to help stop an active shooter. He argued that the removal of guidelines restricting ICE operations at courthouses has a more significant impact on the agency's work. For example, on Monday, the team stopped at a parking lot hoping to apprehend a Venezuelan gang member believed to be working as a delivery driver. Across the street was a church, and one street over was an elementary school, which under previous guidelines would have made it off-limits for surveillance. Elliston emphasized that these are targeted operations. ICE has a list of individuals they're pursuing rather than randomly visiting workplaces or apartment buildings looking for undocumented people. 'I really hate the word 'raids' because it gives people the wrong impression, as if we're just arbitrarily going door to door and saying, 'Show us your papers,'' he said. 'Nothing could be further from the truth.' In the week since Trump returned to office, Elliston said he has been constantly on the phone, trying to dispel rumors about ICE's activities and who is being arrested. Since starting his job in 2022, Elliston has worked to build relationships with elected officials and law enforcement agencies across Maryland, a state where many communities have sanctuary policies limiting their cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Elliston has reached out to cities to educate them about ICE's work and who officers pursue
IMMIGRATION BORDER SECURITY ICE LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS RAIDS COLLATERAL ARRESTS
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