US immigration agents ordered to focus on serious criminals

The Biden administration has also come under pressure from pro-immigrant advocates to scale back enforcement further.

The US government issued interim guidance on Thursday sharply limiting who can be arrested and deported by immigration agents, a move that came as the Biden administration faces growing pressure from activists to scale back deportations. The guidelines instruct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to focus on immigrants deemed national security and public safety threats and those who entered the United States after November 1, 2020. Agents will need pre-approval from a senior manager if they want to arrest someone who does not fall into one of those categories. “Like every law enforcement agency at the local, state, and federal level, we must prioritize our efforts to achieve the greatest security and safety impact,” acting ICE Director Tae Johnson said in a statement.