Data published by the DHS show over 50,000 migrants released by the agency with orders to report to ICE when they are at their desired United States location have not done so. The Notice to Report process was started to help the Border Patrol deal with their detention facility overcrowding last year.
The federal disclosure covers the time between March and August of last year. Of over 270,000 migrants turned loose by DHS, around 104,000 were put in the NTR system which trusts the illegal to voluntarily hand over himself or herself to ICE at their destination to start the deportation process.
The DHS report gave a response to an inquiry by United States Republican Senator Ron Johnson (Wis.) notes over 50,000 migrants — over half of those people released under NTRs —failed to make any formal contact with ICE.
In a report recently, the policy change depending on the honor system of self-reporting to the ICE agency went into effect in March of last year. Data released by the DHS only deals with the first six months of the process in place.
Historically, when the detention space is low, a Notice to Appear (NTA) gives a date and time for a migrant to show before an immigration judge. The illegal can be ordered removed even without being there.
Migrants might also be let go in parole status which might allow lawful employment inside the United States. It gives an incentive to stay connected to ICE to renew work.
Under the Notice to Report, of which 104,000 were given during the study time in 2021, migrants are free to go anywhere in the United States but must go to the nearest ICE location within 60 days in the honor system. In March of last year, a CBP source said this policy change would possibly result in many people not reporting to ICE.
Of those migrants who did go to the ICE office, only 16,296 of the 49,859 were given the required Notice to Appear, establishing a date and starting the removal process. The giving of the Notices to Show for those that did show accounted for just 15 percent of migrants who were reported to ICE.