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The number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations declined in April, though border crossings remain high. According to the latest enforcement data, ICE deported only 2,962 immigrants last month — the first time the monthly figure dropped below 3,000. It was a 20 percent decrease from March’s 3,716 deportations. The drop comes after President Joe Biden and the Department of Homeland Security issued new deportation guidelines prioritizing national security threats. Data also shows there have only been 37,000 deportations within the last seven months, putting it on track to be the first time the number dropped below 100,000 for the fiscal year. The Washington Post
In other federal immigration news…
Vice President Harris Visiting Mexico Next Month
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced Vice President Kamala Harris will likely visit Mexico on June 8. Lopez Obrador hasn’t met with Biden or Harris in person since the administration took office in January. Harris is leading U.S. efforts with Mexico and Central America’s Northern Triangle — Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala — to curb the number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. “We have to regulate migratory flows and we must address the (root) causes, and this means there must be jobs and hope for the people in southeast of Mexico and Central America,” Lopez Obrador said during a Wednesday press conference. Harris is scheduled to virtually meet with Lopez Obrador this Friday. Reuters
Lawyers ‘Hopeful’ for Migrant Family Reunification
Even though only four migrant families have been reunited by the Biden administration’s reunification task force so far, lawyers representing other families remain “hopeful” the 1,000 families will be reunited and get live in the U.S. permanently. The families are represented in a case from the ACLU that challenged the Trump administration’s separation efforts. As part of a settlement, the Biden administration is working to reunited those families. The lead attorney for the ACLU in the federal lawsuit, Lee Gelernt, said that she wished the Biden administration would’ve acted quicker, but said it is “acting in good faith” to bring families back together. NBC News
