PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Trump administration has reassigned 12 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office directors across the country, according to the Associated Press.
Arizona’s Family is working to determine if the reassignments include leadership positions in Phoenix or across the state.
Border arrests decline dramatically
Former Border Patrol Yuma sector chief Chris Clem said agents are making fewer than 200 arrests daily across the southern border.
“The border is the most stable now than it’s been in decades,” Clem said. “Which is amazing compared to 10,000 a day just two years ago.”
The Trump administration campaigned on border security, immigration enforcement and targeting sex traffickers. The feds are offering up to $50,000 signing bonuses to recruit ICE agents for mass deportation operations.
Policy shift from previous administration
Clem said the current approach differs significantly from previous policies.
“The former Biden administration was all about allowing everyone in. In fact, he campaigned to bring everyone in. So, even when I was chief, we had to process and release, and over 10 million people came to the United States. And the majority of that 10 million were released into the United States without proper vetting, without proper immigration, or charging documents, because it was about fast-tracking people in,” he said.
“Now you have an administration that says Okay, we are going to enforce the law. Our priorities are going to be the criminals, foreign terrorist organization members, public safety threats, and the worst of the worst. Still, they also said if you’re in the country illegally and you’re encountered, you’re not off the table, you’re subject to arrest,” Clem said.
Recent Arizona arrests
ICE agents arrested two men at an Avondale home last week. Court records show both were deported in 2019 and re-entered the U.S. illegally.
“In Avondale, out of the Phoenix ICE office, they were looking for those who had prior removals to include all the other criminal activity that’s going on. Those happened to be the ones on the list for the day. They [ICE agents] may have had information,” Clem said.
The Department of Homeland Security did not provide a direct answer about the reassignments but said in a statement there were no personnel changes and that the department is focused on results.
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