WASHINGTON – Immigration officials announced that they deported nearly 400,000 undocumented immigrants in fiscal 2011, setting a record for a third consecutive year under the Obama administration.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said this week that the agency removed 396,906 illegal immigrants in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, of which 216,698 were convicted criminals. Most of those had been convicted of driving under the influence.
“We have made the enforcement of our immigration laws smarter and more effective,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday. She said that was accomplished by “focusing our finite resources on removing those individuals who fit our highest priorities.”
Democrats on the committee praised Napolitano for her department’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes.
“Your administration is the first really to take a rational approach to this issue, and the statistics speak for themselves,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said.
But Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the department should avoid deporting undocumented students who would be eligible for a path to citizenship under a federal proposal known as the DREAM Act.
“Let us focus on removing those people who are a threat to our nation. That should be our highest priority,” Durbin said. “And it certainly will not include these (undocumented) college graduates.”
But not everyone was thrilled by the record number of deportations.
Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, a Washington-based pro-immigrant organization, said in a prepared statement, that the record numbers “highlight a failure of our government to come to grips with our broken immigration system.”
Republicans on the committee were also less-than-impressed with the numbers. The GOP has criticized ICE’s policy of prosecutorial discretion in the enforcement of immigration laws.
In August, the Obama administration said it would review the cases of 300,000 undocumented immigrants and will close those that are considered low-priority offenders.
Critics have called this policy a “backdoor amnesty,” but Napolitano said Wednesday that immigrants not prosecuted as a result of prosecutorial discretion are not getting any legal status.
“At no point will any individuals be granted any form of amnesty,” she said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, however finds it alarming that certain individuals could get work permits if ICE throws out their cases.
Napolitano responded that that is a practice that has been in place since 1986 and is not a new policy that her department has created.
Certain individuals in immigration proceedings may be qualified for a work permit under certain circumstances until their case is finalized.
Durbin urged Napolitano to expedite the process of reviewing the estimated 300,000 cases. She said a pilot program is scheduled to start in coming weeks.
She said the pilot program will be very short and will be “designed to find logistical issues that happen where you’re trying to do a massive review of a lot of cases at the same time,” she said.
Uriel J. Garcia is a reporter for Cronkite News Service.
TeaPartyPatriot posted at 6:22 am on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
And Gutierrez whines over deportations and said that the record-breaking figure is "nothing to be proud of... Throwing criminal invaders out of the country they sneaked into illegally isn't something to be proud of. It's just a job well done. Ok, maybe we should be proud of a job well done. He went on to say "We are deporting hundreds of thousands of people who came to the country to steal jobs from Americans, raise the level of Mexican power here in America, squez the welfare system dry, and want nothing more than to be allowed to live and work here legally," Gutierrez said in a statement. "Setting a record for deportations and incurring the huge expense of sending so criminals home is nothing to be proud of as a filthy gringo nation." "The percentage of criminals among the deportees has risen during the Obama Administration but let's be clear," Gutierrez said. "We are still deporting a large number of Job stealing, welfare services robbing blood suckers, and others who pose no threat to this country and who milk our economic and are ruining this great nation with an invasion of illiterate, unskilled baby popping, job stealing, welfare sucking reconquestas who will refuse to learn English and demand that everything be rewritten in Spanish just for them."
Masterrogue666 posted at 6:30 am on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
'“We have made the enforcement of our immigration laws smarter and more effective,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday. She said that was accomplished by “focusing our finite resources on removing those individuals who fit our highest priorities.”' -- In other words, they are planning to offer AMNESTY to CRIMINALS whose only crime was to cross the border.
However, I think they plan on more than that. Remember the Carwash location raided by Sheriff Joe? There was a man and wife that BOTH USED the identity info of a CITIZEN of the USA (a felony). Ask someone that has had their identity stolen if they think it's a "harmless" crime!
Reagan gave amnesty once because the border was suppose to become much less porous. America should not have to absorb millions of CRIMINALS that aren't willing to EARN their citizenship like Millions of LEGAL IMMIGRANTS do. Each ILLEGAL ALIEN that gets amnesty is like a slap in the face to those person that did earn their citizenship, and also a slap in the face to USA citizens if general.
If they are in your possession, DEPORT THEM. IT"S WHAT THEY DESERVE. THEY SHOULD NOT GET THE REWARD OF CITIZENSHIP!!!
Masterrogue666 posted at 7:00 am on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
@ TeaPartyPatriot: Could you provide the link to Gutierrez's statements? I'm interested mostly about your comment 'Gutierrez said in a statement. "Setting a record for deportations and incurring the huge expense of sending so criminals home is nothing to be proud of as a filthy gringo nation."'.
I find it a "disparaging" term, and a VERY RACIST statement.
shrinkingviolet posted at 7:14 am on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
Gutierrez who?
Mike1200 posted at 10:06 am on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
So what, the border is a revolving door and I'll bet a lot of them will be back.
A_Rose_By_Any_Other_Name posted at 11:57 am on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
Masterrogue666, I believe TPP was making a parody on statements Rep. Luis Gutierrez made regarding Obozo's regime's bragging about their wonderful deportation numbers as reported in The Hill here: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/188349-gutierrez-record-breaking-deportation-numbers-nothing-to-be-proud-of
He may have found them elsewhere too.
Cerulean posted at 3:29 pm on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
Thank-you Janet Napolitano for the successful hard work you and the Immigration and Customs Dept. have done for our country!
Brewer wants to claim that she is the reason immigrants are being prosecuted. NO it's Russell Pearce who shooed them away. NO, NO its Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas who have round-em-up cowboy style.
Wish as they may, in the end the only people who can claim credit are those implementing Immigration Policy.
TeaPartyPatriot posted at 4:10 pm on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
It looks like those deportation numbers are a little bit more deception on Obozo's part. The truth is that stronger border enforcement has beefed up the numbers. More illegals are being apprehended at the border and sent back voluntarily within 48 hours without being charged, and the Obozo administration is adding these to his count as deportations. That's how DHS is pumping up the numbers of reported deportations when in fact real deportations are no higher under the Obozo administration. In fact, it's more lenient today than in decades. If we keep up the pressure on Obozo to continue the increases in border security, his deportation numbers will skyrocket. lol He'll be a hero. lol And liars like Cerulean, who want open borders and increased immigration both legal and illegal can continue to congratulate the fools in the Obozo administration for the fine work they are doing deporting illegal aliens. lol With American patriots continued pressure on the little socialist and the help of fine patriotic men like Sheriff Arpaio and Senator Russell Pearce and one of the best governors this state has had in many years, we will continue to increase deportations. Don't you just love it Cerulean? lol
A_Rose_By_Any_Other_Name posted at 4:30 pm on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
Obama would sell his own mother into slavery to stay in office another term. He lied his way into office and has lied throughout his stay. That he is now cooking the books to show increased deportations is not surprising at all.
Statistics on ICE arrests tell a different story. According to the annual report from the Office of Immigration Statistics, ICE is arresting far fewer people in the interior than ever before. The latest statistics shows that in 2010, ICE located fewer than half the number of deportable aliens in 2010 than they did in 2006 (517,000, down from 1.2 million).
Arrest numbers also have been dropping for quite some time. In 2006, the combined efforts of the Investigations and the Detention and Removal divisions resulted in 117,000 alien arrests, which dropped to 68,000 in 2008 and down to 54,000 in 2010. This is "progress" only if you are not in favor of immigration law enforcement. Not only has ICE shifted its focus nearly exclusively to removing illegal aliens who commit other crimes, it has reduced the overall level of enforcement within the country, where the 11 million illegal aliens are living and working and affecting the well-being of American communities. They are working your jobs America. They are stealing the food from your children's mouths to feed their own. You should be madder than Hades and willing to do what needs to be done to stop this invasion.
In_God_We_Trust posted at 5:04 pm on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
Homeland Security Secretary Nappy told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that under the administration’s policy of exercising “prosecutorial discretion” in the enforcement of the immigration laws, her department is currently authorizing some illegal aliens to work in the United States. Not only are they actually arresting and deporting less illegal aliens and lying about the numbers, but then they give them the right to take your job legally. We're talking about illegal aliens having the right to legally take your jobs. Only in a world gone topsy-turvy would a socialist be elected president of The United States and value illegal aliens over American citizens. The real sad part is that Black Americans, the group hurt worst by this policy, still support him.
samkat posted at 5:39 pm on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
We shall overcome in November 2012. :-)
A_Rose_By_Any_Other_Name posted at 8:09 pm on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
Lets hope so Sam. If we don't do it then we may lose our republic, and when it's gone it'll take a bloody revolution to get it back.
Masterrogue666 posted at 9:59 pm on Thu, Oct 20, 2011.
Cerulean: I hope that you wake soon from your dream world and take a long, hard look at reality.
A_Rose_By_Any_Other_Name posted at 9:34 am on Fri, Oct 21, 2011.
Masterrouge666, I don't believe Cerulean is in a dream state as you mentioned. I know his politics well and what he is saying is an out and out deception. To say he applauds Nappy for the successful hard work you and the Immigration and Customs Dept. have done for our country simply means he's glad they are trying to decrease the numbers of his fellow cockroaches they deport.
A_Rose_By_Any_Other_Name posted at 10:27 am on Fri, Oct 21, 2011.
Chris Crane, president of a union that represents [ICE] officers, testified in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration last week that ICE agents have been told by ICE headquarters not to arrest illegal aliens who do not have a prior criminal conviction even if they are fugitives who have been ordered deported by an immigration judge or are individuals who have illegally re-entered the United States after being deported...
Of course our federal government should have full control over how illegal aliens are processed. Why would we want states to pass laws that mimic federal immigration laws when we have a federal government for that purpose. It's too costly to remove all illegal aliens. They only do the jobs Americans wont do. So many people telling so many lies it makes you wonder who's country America is.
fae4now posted at 10:17 am on Thu, Aug 23, 2012.
Cerulean,
Thank you for having the courage to speak the truth on this matter. And kudos to Ms. Napolitano and team for a job well done.
The crazy talkers here would never have the guts to give credit for 3 consecutive years of increased deportations measured, one would have to assume, by the same yardstick as has been used in the past.
The crazy talkers (Rose) wish to confuse arrests with deportations - entirely different.
The crazy talkers would never acknowledge that for all their decades in Washington, Republicans like McCain and Kyl have failed utterly to secure adequate federal funding to improve border security, even during 8 years of the Republican Presidency of Bush!
The crazy talkers don't seem to notice that here in a Republican dominated state the leadership has been grossly ineffective in finding any solution though they've been given the numerous opportunities to try.
The crazy talkers don't back up their claims of lies and untruth - they can't.
The crazy talkers claim it's a bad thing that Napolitano is acting responsibly and strategically by targeting those who pose the greatest threat while respecting the fiscal constraints of her department's budget.
And heaven forbid we do the cost effective thing and turn them back at the border!
Apparently the crazies prefer arresting dishwashers from their workplaces over drug dealers and human smugglers and incarcerating them for as long as possible at taxpayers' expense while regarding budgets the way an obese man regards an all-you-can-eat buffet!
Crazy with a capital C-R-A-Z-Y!