Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons stated that ICE is tracking 1.6 million undocumented immigrants with final deportation orders, half of whom have criminal records.

According to Fox News, Lyons testified at a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday, saying, "There are approximately 1.6 million final orders of removal outstanding in the United States, and about 800,000 of those are individuals with criminal records."

He added that deportation orders are issued "by immigration judges who are part of the Department of Justice, separate from Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

Lyons further stated, "There are 16,840 final orders across the entire state of Minnesota."

His testimony came the same day that Tom Homan, who oversees border enforcement, announced the end of "Operation Metro Surge," a large-scale sweep for undocumented immigrants in Minnesota.

Homan told reporters, "Thanks to our efforts, Minnesota is no longer a haven for criminals," adding, "I proposed ending this surge operation, and President Trump agreed."

Federal authorities reported that over 4,000 people were arrested during "Operation Metro Surge," which began on December 1st of last year and focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

The figure of 1.6 million individuals with deportation orders represents an increase from the previously known number of 1.2 million.

Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) stated at Thursday's hearing, "Two years ago, 10,000 people were crossing the border illegally every single day. Two years ago, 10,000 people were coming in every single day who had not been vetted, who we had no idea who they were."

Lankford also pointed out, "The Biden administration estimates that 70,000 special interest aliens with terrorist and regional ties entered in 2024."

He lamented, "But we had no idea who they were. They were allowed to enter two years ago."

Recently, criticism has mounted over various operational methods, including the deaths of protesters Rene Good and Alex Fretty during a concentrated ICE operation in Minnesota. Democrats have even threatened a shutdown, vowing not to pass a budget if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not change its law enforcement practices.

Amidst this, Senator Lankford remarked, "We are losing perspective on what has actually happened," adding, "That chaos has been stopped because of the incredible efforts of the men and women who are working for you."

He continued, "Thousands of arrests are being made every day in compliance with the law," adding, "And what is occurring now is a group of protesters who are demonstrating and agitating are barging into churches and disrupting services, and then claiming it is their First Amendment right to shut down a church during worship. And they are throwing rocks at officers and saying they are peaceful protesters, and I am just sick of it."

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By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Reporter, NNP USA / Special Contribution NNP info@newsandpost.com