Biden's ICE "cooked the books" on illegal immigration: Trump officials expose deceptive data and enforcement failures

By willowt // 2025-03-13

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The Biden administration allegedly manipulated ICE arrest data by categorizing "pass-through" arrests — where migrants were processed and released without enforcement actions — as legitimate arrests. This inflated the reported arrest numbers, misleading the public about enforcement efforts.
Only 29% of Biden-era ICE arrests involved actual enforcement actions, while 71% were "pass-through" arrests. Many released migrants had criminal records, raising concerns about public safety and the prioritization of optics over enforcement.
Under Trump, ICE arrests focused on actual enforcement, with 43% of arrests involving convicted criminals, 30% involving individuals with pending charges, and a significant number targeting suspected gang members. This contrasts sharply with Biden’s approach.
The Trump administration reversed Biden-era policies, including parole programs and asylum limitations, while deploying military resources to the border and introducing tools like the CBP Home app to facilitate self-deportations. These measures have led to a drop in border encounters and increased enforcement.
The Biden administration’s handling of immigration enforcement is seen as a departure from historical U.S. immigration policies prioritizing national security and public safety. The Trump administration’s return to robust enforcement is framed as a necessary corrective to restore trust and protect American communities.

The Biden administration’s handling of immigration enforcement has come under fire as senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials reveal shocking details about how the previous administration allegedly manipulated arrest data to mislead the American public. According to internal reviews, the Biden administration inflated ICE arrest numbers by categorizing “pass-through” arrests—where no enforcement action was taken—as legitimate arrests. This revelation has sparked outrage among conservatives and immigration hawks, who argue that the Biden administration’s policies prioritized optics over public safety.

The numbers don’t lie: Biden’s “pass-through” arrests exposed

In fiscal year 2024, ICE reported 113,431 arrests, a figure that initially appeared to reflect robust enforcement. However, senior officials now reveal that the majority of these arrests were “pass-through” arrests, meaning that ICE simply processed migrants and released them into the interior of the United States without taking enforcement actions such as detention or deportation. “They were purposely misleading the American people by categorizing individuals processed and released into the interior of the United States as ICE arrests,” Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said during a press call. “A comprehensive review was done internally here with ICE, and we found tens of thousands of cases that were recorded as arrests, when, in fact, these instances were illegal aliens that were simply processed and released into the American communities.” This stands in stark contrast to the Trump administration’s approach. Since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, ICE has made 32,809 arrests, nearly matching the 33,242 at-large arrests made during the entirety of fiscal year 2024 under Biden. Crucially, none of the Trump-era arrests were “pass-through” arrests. “What we are doing now is actual immigration enforcement, not enforcement theater,” a senior ICE official emphasized.

A crisis of public safety: Criminal migrants left at large

The Biden administration’s failure to enforce immigration laws had dire consequences for public safety. According to ICE data, of the 113,431 arrests recorded in fiscal year 2024, only 29% were at-large arrests resulting from interior enforcement actions. The remaining 71% were largely migrants processed and released into the U.S., many of whom were later found to have criminal records. In contrast, the Trump administration’s enforcement efforts have already yielded significant results. Of the 32,809 arrests made since January 20, 14,111 (43%) were convicted criminals, 9,980 (30%) had pending criminal charges, and 1,155 were suspected gang members—a figure two and a half times higher than the same period last year. “The difference between these recent arrests and those from last year is now we are actually taking enforcement actions on each and every illegal alien arrested,” officials said. This shift underscores the Trump administration’s commitment to prioritizing public safety and restoring the rule of law. Under Biden, ICE agents were often reassigned to process the unprecedented number of illegal border crossers, leaving criminal migrants at large in American communities.

Restoring ICE’s mission: Trump’s bold moves to secure the border

Since returning to office, President Trump has taken swift action to reverse the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies. The administration has reversed Biden-era parole programs, surged military resources to the border, limited the use of asylum and secured agreements with certain countries to repatriate their nationals. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has replaced the controversial CBP One app with a new CBP Home app designed to facilitate self-deportations. “We are empowering [ICE agents] to do their jobs,” Lyons said. “After four years of not being allowed to effectively do their jobs, our agents and officers are excited to get to work and fulfill the agency’s mission.” The administration’s efforts are already showing results. Not only has there been a sharp increase in arrests, but encounters at the southern border have also dropped significantly. This marks a stark departure from the Biden era, which saw record-breaking border crossings and a growing crisis in sanctuary cities that refused to cooperate with ICE enforcement.

Why this matters: A historical perspective

The revelations about the Biden administration’s manipulation of ICE data are not just a scandal—they are a betrayal of the American people. Historically, immigration enforcement has been a cornerstone of national security and public safety. From the Immigration Act of 1924 to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, the U.S. has long recognized the importance of controlling its borders and enforcing its laws. The Biden administration’s policies, however, represented a dramatic departure from this tradition. By inflating arrest numbers and releasing migrants into the interior without enforcement actions, the administration undermined public trust and endangered American communities. The Trump administration’s return to robust enforcement is a necessary corrective to this failure. By prioritizing the arrest and removal of criminal migrants, the administration is not only restoring the rule of law but also sending a clear message: the safety and security of American citizens come first. As Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons put it, “We have returned ICE to its core mission, which is arresting people who violate our immigration laws.” For conservatives, this is a moment of vindication — and a reminder of why strong leadership on immigration is essential. The Biden administration’s “cooking of the books” may have temporarily obscured the truth, but the numbers don’t lie. Under Trump, ICE is once again fulfilling its mission to protect the American people. Sources include: TheNationalPulse.com FoxNews.com ConchoValley.com DailyCaller via MSN.com