In a press release on Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that they will be temporarily halting the arrests of illegal aliens who do not present “public safety risks,” due to fear of the coronavirus outbreak, as reported by the Daily Caller.
According to the statement, “ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) will focus enforcement on public safety risks and individuals subject to mandatory detention based on criminal grounds.” The statement additionally said that “For those individuals who do not fall into those categories, ERO will exercise discretion to delay enforcement actions until after the crisis, or utilize alternatives to detention, as appropriate.”
The hiatus started Wednesday, with no clear indications as to how long it will last. The policy mirrors a similar declaration by the city of Philadelphia, as reported yesterday, wherein police officers have been ordered to stop arresting “non-violent” criminal offenders.