The number of illegal immigrant “gotaways” has skyrocketed to nearly two million under the Biden administration, a congressional source confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Roughly 1.9 million gotaways, illegal immigrants who escape into the interior of the country, have been recorded since President Joe Biden first entered office, a congressional source confirmed. In addition to the rise in gotaways, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) non-detained docket has exploded to 7.4 million cases and is on track to hit eight million by the end of the year. (RELATED: Biden Immigration Officials Let Nearly 12,000 At Risk Migrants Roam The Country, Watchdog Finds)
The internal federal data was first reported by Fox News.
“These numbers are further proof of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’ radical commitment to open borders, and the secretary’s high crimes and misdemeanors committed to make them a reality,” House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green said in a Monday statement. “The laws passed by substantial bipartisan majorities in Congress make very clear that illegal aliens must be detained, but Biden and Mayorkas have instead directed and overseen the mass release of illegal aliens into our communities.”
Migrants of different nationalities pray in front of anti-riot agents of the Texas National Guard who prevent passage towards their border line, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico, on April 16, 2024. (Photo by Herika Martinez / AFP) (Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Unlike other foreign nationals that seek out immigration officials and request asylum once they illegally cross the U.S. border, gotaways are observed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials escaping into the interior of the country before being apprehended. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is unable to track their whereabouts in the U.S.
The number of known gotaways has been steadily climbing the past several years.
There were more than 1.6 million known gotaways recorded between fiscal year 2021 through 2023, according to previously reported CBP data. That number eclipses all known gotaways recorded in both the Trump and Obama administrations from fiscal year 2010 through fiscal year 2020.
Due to the huge influx of asylum seekers appearing at the U.S.-Mexico border, an increasing number are being released from physical detention and allowed to roam freely in the interior of the U.S., being enrolled in ICE’s Alternative to Detention program. The non-detained docket, which currently sits at 7.4 million cases, has more than doubled since Biden entered office, the DCNF confirmed.
Chairman Green noted in his statement that the Biden administration has “consistently” requested fewer ICE beds in order to detain more migrants and isn’t utilizing all the beds currently available.
“Would-be border crossers around the world are making the bet that if they cross under this administration, they will be released into the interior,” Green said. “These numbers show that’s usually a winning wager to make.”
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
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