Under President Joe Biden and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) knowingly allowed millions of illegal aliens who overstayed their visas to remain in the United States, classifying them as “non-priority” aliens.
A report by Department of Homeland Security Inspector General (IG) Joseph Cuffari details a glaring lack of immigration enforcement within the Biden administration, particularly regarding visa overstays.
For example, from 2021 to 2024, ICE received more than 3.1 million visa overdue tips, approximately 104,000 of which were classified as potential national security or public safety threats. The agency investigated fewer than 500 national security/public safety threat leads and ultimately arrested only eight visa overstayers.
“The level of failure by the Biden administration is shocking and outrageous, needlessly putting American lives at risk,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement.
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general noted that the Biden administration issued an ICE directive in September 2021 instructing agents to only investigate visa overstay leads deemed “first priority,” resulting in millions of people being overlooked and able to continue living in the United States.
Of the fewer than 1,800 visa overstay leads considered priority one, only 84 were investigated, leading to just two arrests.
The IG report states:
Due to a September 2021 policy that directs ICE’s limited resources only to leads that pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security, ICE rarely investigates leads initiated by non-immigrant overstayers, and even fewer arrests aliens who have overstayed their welcome or violated the terms of their admission.
As ICE attempts to act on tips, it encounters challenges verifying addresses and locating foreign nationals Currently in the United States. Additionally, ICE does not have the resources to pursue all overstay leads. [Emphasis added]
The latest visa overstay report from the Department of Homeland Security shows that nearly 500,000 foreigners overstayed their visas and remained in the United States in fiscal year 2024.
“Unlike the Biden administration, the Trump administration will always put the safety of the American people first,” Mullin said. “We will target and remove as many illegal aliens as possible to make America safe again.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com.