ICE releases of illegal immigrants increase dramatically since January

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released increasing numbers of illegal immigrants into communities since January -- an indicator of both narrowed enforcement priorities and recently-arrived migrants coming into ICE custody via Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The vast majority of those released were done so under an order of recognizance, meaning they are released and given paperwork for a court hearing. At the moment, non-detained court cases are not proceeding until July. Others were bonded out, paroled or given an order of supervision. Of those released on an order of recognizance, 1,695 were convicted criminals or had pending criminal charges – a number lower than the 2,603 released between November and January. It is unclear how many were recent migrants transferred into ICE custody from CBP and how many were apprehended in the interior and then released.