Recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the United States have drawn attention for their similarities to past administrations, according to a former agency official. John Sandweg, a former acting director at ICE, explained that the current actions bear resemblance to those carried out during the Obama, Biden, and early Trump administrations.
One key distinction highlighted by Sandweg is the Trump administration's approach of targeting individuals with a lower threshold than previous administrations. While the Biden administration focused on individuals convicted of 'serious crimes,' the Trump administration has broadened its scope to include those with any involvement with the criminal justice system, even if not convicted. This expanded criteria could encompass individuals with minor infractions such as traffic offenses.
ICE's process involves scouring court records, jail records, probation, and parole records to identify individuals who may have slipped through the agency's previous enforcement efforts. Once target lists are compiled, ICE agents conduct door-to-door operations, not only focusing on the intended targets but also checking the status of others present at the location.
Sandweg cautioned that the sustainability of these target lists may be limited, as the pool of individuals with ties to the criminal justice system is finite. He noted that the rate at which ICE is exhausting these potential targets could pose challenges in the long run.
As ICE continues its operations under the Trump administration, the approach to immigration enforcement has shifted to cast a wider net, raising concerns about the implications for individuals with minor legal entanglements. The evolving strategies employed by ICE underscore the ongoing debate surrounding immigration policies and enforcement practices in the United States.
