The number of illegal immigrant “gotaways” has skyrocketed to nearly 2 million under the Biden administration, a congressional source confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Roughly 1.9 million gotaways, illegal aliens who escape into the interior of the U.S., have been recorded since President Joe Biden first entered office in January 2021, a congressional source confirmed. In addition to the rise in gotaways, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “non-detained” docket has exploded to 7.4 million cases and is on track to hit 8 million by the end of the year.
The internal federal data first was 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 Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green said in a written statement Monday, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“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,” Green said.
Unlike other foreign nationals who seek out immigration officials and request asylum once they illegally cross the U.S. border, gotaways are observed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials escaping into the interior of the country before being apprehended. The Department of Homeland Security says it isn’t unable to track their whereabouts in the U.S.
The number of known gotaways has steadily climbed over the past several years.
There were more than 1.6 million known gotaways recorded between fiscal years 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 2010 through fiscal 2020.
Due to the huge influx of asylum-seekers appearing at the U.S.-Mexico border, an increasing number are 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. This non-detained docket, which includes 7.4 million cases, has more than doubled since Biden entered office, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed.
Green noted in his statement that the Biden administration “consistently” has requested fewer ICE beds to detain more illegal aliens and isn’t using 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.
Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation
