Over 1.5 million illegal aliens with deportation orders in US, ICE director reveals

Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons revealed that there are about 1.6 million illegal aliens with final deportation orders in the U.S., half of whom have criminal convictions.

During testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, Lyons said, "What we're tracking right now is about 1.6 million final [deportation] orders in the United States, with approximately 800,000 of those having criminal convictions."

Lyons clarified that these deportation orders have not been issued by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security. Rather, Lyons said the orders have come "through an immigration judge with the Department of Justice separate from Immigration Customs Enforcement."