U.S. immigration arrests and deportations increased during 2022 

Arrests and deportations by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Fiscal Year 2022 increased after falling during 2021, according to a new report released on Friday. 

In the Fiscal Year 2022, which covers the period from October 2021 to September 30, 2022, there were 142,750 immigration arrests and 72,177 deportations carried out by ICE. 

The figures for 2022 indicate an increase of 93% in immigration arrests and 22% in deportations compared to the previous fiscal year. 

Despite increasing from 2021, the number of deportations in the fiscal year 2022 is the second-lowest number recorded by ICE. Arrests and deportations in the previous fiscal year were largely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The increase in arrests and deportations in Fiscal Year 2022 was mostly due to the record-breaking number of undocumented migrants crossing the U.S-Mexico border over the past year, which led to more migrant encounters, according to the statistics published on Friday. 

Border officials intercepted more than 2.3 million undocumented migrants this past year. More than 1 million of those interceptions led to deportations to Mexico or back to their home country. 

However, 67% of the arrests carried out by ICE in 2022 involved migrants that did not have any criminal convictions or charges, compared to 2021 when 39% of those deported did not have a criminal background. During Fiscal Year 2021, the Biden administration narrowed the deportation policies to prioritize the arrests of migrants who had been convicted of serious crimes or posed a threat to national security. 

In Fiscal Year, 2022, however, about two-thirds of the arrests were of individuals who had only committed “immigration violations.”

Individuals from about 150 different countries were deported during Fiscal Year 2022, according to the report. Among those deported were 2,667 known or suspected gang members, 55 known or suspected terrorists, and 74 fugitives.