The United States is facing a significant challenge with nearly two million illegal immigrants freely moving around the country, despite having deportation orders or criminal histories, according to recent data obtained by The Post.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is currently keeping track of approximately 1.5 million migrants who have been instructed by a judge to leave the country, as well as around 423,000 individuals with criminal convictions. This poses a serious concern for national security and public safety.
Despite President Trump’s efforts to ramp up deportation initiatives, it is unlikely that all two million targets will be successfully removed from the country. The process of locating, surveilling, and arresting these individuals is time-consuming and complex, especially when dealing with cases involving criminal backgrounds.
Homeland Security sources have indicated that some migrants may have been granted a stay of removal, may be seeking asylum, or could be cooperating as informants, making their immediate removal challenging. These factors contribute to the difficulty in executing mass deportations.
ICE’s non-detained docket currently monitors over 7.5 million migrants who are not in federal detention facilities. Not all illegal migrants are detained, with some being released with court appearance notices and required to check in with ICE or wear GPS monitoring devices.
Last year, under the Biden administration, the docket stood at 7.4 million, including 425,000 convicted criminals. The sheer volume of cases has made it challenging for ICE officers to make a significant impact, with each agent managing an average of 7,000 cases.
To address the overwhelming caseload, ICE has initiated a mass hiring blitz, aiming to recruit 10,000 new agents with the additional funding provided by Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. The agency is also offering generous bonuses of up to $50,000 for retired agents to reenlist and bolster their workforce.
In addition to hiring more agents, ICE is looking to expand the use of tracking technology through its Alternatives to Detention program. This initiative involves monitoring individuals with ankle and wrist monitors, as well as a phone app called SmartLink. With over 182,000 individuals currently being monitored, ICE has the capacity to scale up the program with 50,000 tracking devices readily available.
By leveraging technology and increasing manpower, ICE aims to enhance its immigration enforcement efforts and address the challenges posed by the large number of illegal immigrants with deportation orders or criminal backgrounds in the country.
