Staff Reports
Patrick J. Lechleitner, the interim director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the administration of President Joe Biden, defends the request to Congress for additional funding to expand detention space for undocumented immigrants. Notwithstanding the abundance of underutilized detention facilities, Lechleitner asserts that the provision of supplementary beds is imperative in order to accommodate "surge capacity." It is unsurprising that the Biden administration has reverted to placing the welfare of unauthorized immigrants ahead of the security and protection of American citizens.
‘It’s Dynamic’: ICE Chief Asks Congress To Pony Up More Cash For Detention Beds While Thousands Remain Empty https://t.co/MOGSdYvs3s #BreakingNews #Breaking #News pic.twitter.com/WiHPbEt6Zp
— Patriot Pointman ?? (@PatriotPointman) January 25, 2024
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has requested an increase in the number of detention beds to 46,500 under the direction of Joe Biden, despite the fact that thousands of beds are currently unused and numerous facilities have already been closed. The apparent stance of the Biden administration regarding immigration is to facilitate entry by widening borders and subsequently rushing to secure adequate detention space for the enormous influx of unauthorized immigrants into the United States.
Based on data from the Border Patrol, encounters with migrants illegally traversing the southern border surpassed 2.2 million during fiscal year 2022. It is anticipated that this figure will increase to over 2 million by fiscal year 2023. These astounding numbers serve to underscore the ineffectiveness of the immigration policies implemented during the Biden administration. However, rather than prioritizing border security and addressing the underlying factors contributing to these enormous influxes, the head of ICE under Biden aims to allocate additional financial resources towards expanding detention bed capacity.
An exemplary case that exposes the inefficiency of this methodology is the Adelanto facility, which at present accommodates 640 individuals but maintains an average daily tally of merely 16 unlawful aliens. This observation unequivocally demonstrates that the number of detainees that will require housing has been grossly underestimated. However, it goes without saying that the Biden administration has no qualms about squandering tax dollars to maintain vacant beds, all in the name of "surge capacity" that might never materialize.
Concerning is Lechleitner's inability to provide a definitive response when asked how many of the more than 6 million illegal aliens that ICE is currently monitoring he would prefer to be detained. This lack of transparency is characteristic of the Biden administration, which appears to prioritize appeasing proponents of open borders over maintaining the rule of law. It is evident that releasing a significant proportion of these unauthorized immigrants into the domestic sphere exacerbates the burden on law enforcement agencies and support services.
Rep. Jay Obernolte, a Republican from California, critiques the Biden administration's management of the Adelanto case in a just manner, asserting that the unauthorized entry of foreigners into American communities is detrimental to the nation. It is time for ICE and DHS to collaborate with Congress to end this crisis that is overburdening our support services and law enforcement agencies, with a focus on border security. An administration more concerned with accommodating unauthorized immigrants than safeguarding American citizens and upholding the rule of law is not what we require; rather, we require robust and efficient immigration policies.
