ICE will temporarily postpone most arrests amid coronavirus pandemic

An ICE agent waits outside a house in New York.

(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

published 19 March 2020

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced Wednesday that the agency will be scaling back its enforcement actions amid the coronavirus pandemic, focusing its efforts on arresting people who pose a risk to public safety or have certain criminal convictions.

In a statement, ICE said its "highest priorities are to promote life-saving and public safety activities," and the move will "ensure the welfare and safety of the general public as well as officers and agents."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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