Fact check: What changes did Biden make to ICE enforcement priorities compared to Obama's policies?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, Biden made significant changes to ICE enforcement priorities that represented both a return to Obama-era approaches and some notable departures. The Biden administration shifted from Trump's broad enforcement priorities to a more targeted approach that was similar to Obama's framework, focusing on threats to national security, public safety, and recent illegal entrants ^[1].

However, Biden's approach introduced more nuanced considerations compared to Obama's policies. The Biden administration implemented guidelines that emphasized a multi-dimensional view of migrants, considering factors such as contributions to society, vulnerabilities, and criminal history, marking a shift from the categorical approach of previous administrations and allowing for more individualized assessments of each case ^[2]. This represents an evolution beyond Obama's policies, which primarily focused on removing criminals and recent border crossers ^{[3] [4]}.

The Obama administration had deported over 2 million people during his tenure ^[5], with a clear focus on people convicted of serious crimes and recent arrivals ^[4]. Biden's enforcement priorities maintained similar categories - national security, border security, and public safety ^[6] - but added the individualized assessment component that wasn't present in Obama's more categorical approach.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A critical piece of missing context is the implementation gap between policy and practice. Despite Biden's refined enforcement priorities, ICE did not always follow the administration's guidelines, with data showing that nearly a third of arrests fell under the 'other' category, indicating that ICE agents took enforcement action against individuals who did not meet the established priorities ^[6]. This highlights a significant challenge that may have also existed during the Obama era but isn't addressed in the available analyses.

The analyses also lack comprehensive data on actual deportation numbers under Biden compared to Obama's record. While Obama's deportation numbers are well-documented at over 2 million ^[5], there's insufficient information about Biden's actual enforcement outcomes versus his stated priorities.

Alternative viewpoints that would benefit from this narrative include:

• Immigration advocacy groups who may emphasize Biden's more humanitarian approach to highlight progress
• Conservative critics who might argue that Biden's individualized approach creates loopholes and reduces enforcement effectiveness
• ICE agents and law enforcement unions who may prefer clearer, more categorical guidelines like those under Obama

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself doesn't contain misinformation, but it assumes that Biden made substantial changes to Obama's policies without acknowledging that Biden's approach was actually similar to Obama's framework while adding refinements ^[1]. This framing could lead to an overestimation of the differences between the two Democratic administrations.

The question also doesn't account for the implementation challenges that occurred under Biden, where ICE often did not follow its own guidelines ^[6]. This suggests that asking about policy changes without considering enforcement reality may provide an incomplete picture.

Additionally, the question lacks context about the Trump administration's rejection of Obama's prioritized approach ^[4], which makes Biden's return to a similar framework appear more revolutionary than it actually was - it was largely a restoration of pre-Trump policies with some humanitarian enhancements.