The Biden administration will release approximately 3,000 illegal migrants into the country as a result of a data breach. The immigrants who faced deportation will now be allowed to reside in the United States.
To begin, the data included the names and birthdates of the immigrants which were inadvertently published by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). The agency confirmed the publication and is beginning to act.
“Though unintentional, this release of information is a breach of policy and the agency is investigating the incident and taking all corrective actions necessary,” they said.
ICE released nearly 3,000 immigrants whose personal information was inadvertently posted on the internet by the U.S. government. https://t.co/dHgYvsUtFe
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) January 19, 2023
However, the Los Angeles Times reports that more than 100 immigrants were unable to stay in the U.S. since the breach was discovered after their deportations. ICE has offered help to the deportees who wish to return to the country.
In addition, New York City Mayor Eric Adams cited a “lack of room” in his state to house the migrants and called on President Joe Biden to address the issue.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there have been over 2 million illegal border crossings in 2022 alone.
The leak was released a month after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spoke with the Cuban government about deportation flights that contained more than 100 Cubans whose data was accidentally released.
ICE was responsible for the publication of the data and sought to right the ship by notifying the deportees.
The agency said, “ICE is notifying noncitizens impacted by the disclosure.”
Cuban deportees could face prosecution back at home. Movimiento Democracia (a Cuban exile organization based in Miami, FL) Head Ramon Saul Sanchez said the deportees could face prison sentences upon reaching the Cuban island.
Sanchez said the leak could be:
“a long prison sentence for any of the Cubans who applied for asylum confident that their information would remain closed to the Cuban regime.”
Furthermore, U.S. House Reps. Norma Torres (D-CA) and Nanette Barragan (D-CA) sent a letter to ICE demanding answers on how the leak occurred.
“We believe that ICE’s failure to comply with simple regulations to protect asylum seekers has potentially endangered the lives of these vulnerable individuals and their families and urge you to take immediate action to ensure the privacy of this and other sensitive information held by the agency,” the letter stated.
All in all, the breach has received criticism from both sides of the political aisle. The breach has led to a halt in the deportations of those whose information has been released.
