ICE circulates plan to release thousands of detainees to ease deficit

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is discussing releasing nearly half of detained migrants to make up for a budget shortfall.

Four ICE and Department of Homeland Security officials told the Washington Post that the agency is currently experiencing its greatest budget shortfall in recent memory, at $700 million. To compensate, ICE officials are circulating an internal memorandum that proposes cutting detention beds from 38,000 to just 22,000.

The move was interpreted by some conservative figures as a hostile move from the Biden administration, retaliating for House Republicans refusing to pass an aid bill that allocated dozens of billions to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, alongside $7.6 billion for ICE. It was also interpreted as retaliation against the House’s impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“In response to Mayorkas impeachment, Biden regime payback includes threat to release even more illegal aliens,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.