Arizona, Montana Ask Court to Halt Biden Administration’s Narrowing Deportation Guidance

Arizona and Montana attorneys general are asking a judge to order the Biden administration to stop abiding by guidance that narrowed which illegal immigrants should be deported, leading to a new record-low number of deportations in April. In interim guidance issued in February, acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tae Johnson ordered agents only to focus on deporting illegal immigrants presumed to be priorities linked to national security, border security, or public safety. That meant illegal immigrants convicted of driving while under the influence or assault would not be deported, the White House said. After the order, and similar guidance, the number of illegal immigrants ICE booked per month plummeted, from over 5,000 to about 2,000, according to a court document filed by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. The number of deportations also dropped, from 5,732 in the bulk of January to under 3,000 …