Immigration arrests increased under President Trump while deportations decreased, according to 2017 year-end statistics released by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday.
This year's statistics reveal that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers conducted 143,470 arrests, a 25 percent increase from the number of arrests in 2016. Trump campaigned on an immigration crackdown and members of his administration view these year-end numbers as fulfilling that promise.
While immigration arrests increased overall, border arrests hit a 17-year low. DHS recorded a total of 310,531 apprehensions — 98 percent of which were made along the Southwest border, ABC News reported. Meanwhile, ICE officers removed approximately 226,000 people from the country, translating to 6 percent fewer deportations in 2017 than in 2016, Reuters said.
“Overall, removals are down because the border is under better control than it has been in 45 years,” Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan said at a press conference Tuesday.