ICE deports record number of immigrants in year (400,000)

[The Straight Story]

ICE deports record number of immigrants in year


MIAMI—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton says his agency deported nearly 400,000 individuals during the fiscal year 2011 that just ended in September.

Morton announced in Washington on Tuesday the number was the largest in the agency's history.

ICE said about 55 percent of those deported had felony or misdemeanor convictions. Officials said the number of individuals convicted of crimes was up 89 percent from 2008. But officials could not immediately say how many of those crimes were related to immigration violations.

Among those deported were more than 1,000 people convicted of homicide. Another 5,800 were sexual offenders, and about 80,000 people convicted of drug related crimes or driving under the influence.

http://www.mercurynews.com/natbreakingnews/ci_19139067?nclick_check=1

[joeybee12]

1. We're number one!!!!

[Lance_Boyle]

2. ICE does not deport immigrants unless they commit felonies.

ICE deports *illegal aliens* routinely, and I suspect that is what the lazy (or agenda-driven) author at mercurynews meant to convey.

[KamaAina]

3. It's an AP story

so I doubt it's "agenda-driven", since they lean hard right.

Also the word "immigrants" only appears in the headline, so it's the headline writer who's either "lazy", or just looking to make the hed fit.

The money quote:

But officials could not immediately say how many of those crimes were related to immigration violations.

In other words, many of these "criminals"' only crime is being undocumented -- which, remember, is a civil rather than criminal offense.

[The Straight Story]

5. I don't see an issue since it says, right in the article:

"ICE said about 55 percent of those deported had felony or misdemeanor convictions. Officials said the number of individuals convicted of crimes was up 89 percent from 2008. But officials could not immediately say how many of those crimes were related to immigration violations."

[grantcart]

8. Your basically right but not technically correct

ICE has task forces with DEA and other agencies that investigate gangs that are mostly populated with aliens. When they identify an 'illegal alien' that is a) associating with a gang b) showing no visible means of support and yet sustaining a lavish life style c) determined to have a high liklihood of being involved in criminal activities then they will detain them and deport them on immigration charges rather than waiting for the suspected felon to be caught and prosecuted.

In these cases the alien has not yet been convicted of a felony, but thought to be apart of a criminal enterprise.

[Lance_Boyle]

9. Ah, but I was talking about immigrants, not illegal aliens.

Once an immigrant has citizenship or a green card they are not typically "deportable" unless they commit a felony. Illegal aliens are fair game for deportation anytime, should ICE find the resources to do it.

[grantcart]

4. Your link appears to be broken.

These statistics are highly misleading.

In the San Diego sector last year ICE apprehended only one non criminal related undocumented alien and the officer who did it received a reprimand.

As long as there is no criminal connection ICE is not looking for aliens, and there was one DUer who said that he was tired of the tension and wrote ICE to turn himself in for overstaying his student visa. ICE said that they didn't have any resources to pursue his case.


ICE has multi agency task forces that are targeting gangs with significant success, see this;

http://cis.org/ImmigrantGangs

In following suspected gang members in immigrant gangs ICE finds illegal aliens that 'have no visible means of support'. These are folks that have a lavish standard of living but don't go to work and ties to known drug networks. These aliens have no criminal convictions but are identified and deported on strong suspicion of being involved in criminal activity.

The other number that distorts deportation statistics are those that are caught near the border. It had been the practice to allow aliens to volunteer for a quick repatriation and their name would be entered into the data base and they would be walked back to the border for a voluntary 'self' return. These people would not be counted in deportation statistics.

Now a much higher percentage are taken into the system, provided an attorney and take to court. Typically the process takes 3-4 days and they are returned. These people are now included in deportation statistics but really are fence jumpers that have been included in the system where previously they were not.

Just taking 'top of the page' statistics on deportations will give a very distorted view of the very significant changes that the new administration has implemented, eliminating the Bush's penchant for high profile sweeps into neighborhoods to pick up undocumented workers who had no other criminal activity and are simply undocumented on their immigration status.

[KamaAina]

6. The Merc's unreliable subscription feature must have kicked in

but the AP story is available everywhere, for instance:

http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ICE-deports-record-number-of-immigrants-in-year-2223878.php

[grantcart]

7. thanks

As I mentioned the vast majority of deportations are 'fence jumpers' those that are apprehended in the act of crossing the border who used to be simply dumped at the border but are now run through the system;

"Authorities say two-thirds of those deported either recently crossed the border or had done so repeatedly."

[sixmile]

10. Kicked for later reading

thanks for posting