Deportations of illegal immigrants hit record high, officials announce

More than 392,000 illegal immigrants were deported from the United States in fiscal year 2010, the highest number in the country’s history, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Wednesday.

“We have deployed unprecedented infrastructure, unprecedented technology, unprecedented manpower,” Napolitano said during a news conference in Washington, D.C. 

Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton attributed the numbers to increased border enforcement, workplace enforcement and an expansion of the department’s Secure Communities program.

Secure Communities, which uses fingerprints to identify illegal immigrants in state prisons and local jails, has gone from 14 jurisdictions in 2008 to more than 660, officials said. The department is on track to expand the program to every law-enforcement jurisdiction in the nation by 2013, Napolitano said. 

Half of deported immigrants in the last fiscal year were convicted of crimes, Napolitano said. Of those, 33% were convicted of what ICE considered the most serious crimes, which included murder, rape and major drug crimes. The others were convicted of lesser crimes such as burglary, domestic violence, some property crimes and other offenses.

“The numbers reflect our continued focus on those who pose a public-safety threat to our communities,” Napolitano said.

In addition, since January 2009, ICE has audited more than 3,200 employers suspected of hiring illegal labor, debarred 225 companies and individuals, and imposed about $50 million in financial sanctions—more than the total amount of audits and debarments than during the entire previous administration, she said.

A coalition of immigrant-rights groups, including the Center for Constitutional Rights and the National Day Laborer Organization Network, called the numbers misleading and said that statistics obtained from ICE showed that nearly 80% of people detained through the Secure Communities program were not criminals or were arrested for lower-level offenses.

Sheriff Lee Baca, who attended the news conference alongside Adrian Garcia, sheriff of Harris County in  Texas, and Stan Barry, the sheriff of Virginia's Fairfax County, called the announcement “very good news” and said his department had identified 21,000 people in its jails eligible for deportation.

“Secure Communities does work,” Baca said. “It’s an excellent policy.”

-- Paloma Esquivel 

Comments

[George]

So if no more enter the country, the problem should be solved in 30-40 years. whoo hoo!

[pjchooch]

Another example of the Obama administration being weak on protecting our borders... wait... er...

[JD]

Great...now, how do we keep them from coming back?

[Pedro Gambino-Gotti]

Wait a minute. I thought Lee liked illegals and didn't want to deport them because they rat on other illegals. I'm so confused now...

Si Se Puede!!!

[jimbe]

that a good start now week need a faster execution for those bad apple waiting to bee executed after 5 year!

[James S.]

They are deporting those in jail, and those caught trying to cross into the states, there is very little if any other sections of illegal immigrants being deported.

She is throwing out numbers preparing for 2011, we need to see employers being prosecuted for hiring illegal immigrants, or we will not see an end to this flux.

Take away the jobs, and there is no real need to beef up the border, because all you will be dealing with is the real criminal elements.

[kuruc]

and 50 million more to go. way to go nappy!

[Warren]

I'll like to see ICE round them up and walk them south down the 5 FWY to Mexico. That would send a message to those down south thinking about coming here.

[dan]

This is good news. It makes sense to deport all illegal’s who commit crimes. These people cost our society so much.

[maandrews]

At least 12 to 20 million more to go!
Faint praise for Napolitano ......we are NOT impressed.

Remember...... in November!

numbersusa.com

[Marley]

Not even a million? What a joke. Arrest and fine ALL of the employers of illegals and deportation will be rendered unnecessary.

[Captain Howdy]

From the article:A coalition of immigrant-rights groups, including the Center for Constitutional Rights and the National Day Laborer Organization Network, called the numbers misleading and said that statistics obtained from ICE showed that nearly 80% OF PEOPLE DETAINED THROUGH THE SECURE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM WERE NOT CRIMINALS or were arrested for lower-level offenses.

Wait, NOT CRIMINALS? Is it not ILLEGAL to sneak into this country and not be a citizen or a LEGAL alien? If it IS ILLEGAL and we all know that it is, than they are IN FACT CRIMINALS.

[Jon K.]

Quadruple this number and make it a felony to hire an illegal alien and we might actually be moving in the right direction.
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I still can't believe we have 12.4% unemployment and political interests continute to harbor millions of illegal aliens in our state. It's downright treasonous.
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Americans deserve jobs before non-citizens. Period.

[a_breitbart]

Good - now add a zero to that number

And put leaders of Center for Constitutional Rights and National Day Laborer Organization Network under FBI surveillance

[Jon K.]

Hire an illegal. Go to jail. That should be the rule. We've got 30 million unemployed AMERICANS right now and another 40 million that need a second job to get by, but can't find one.
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This tolerance for criminals who aren't Americans has got to stop.

[Pizzedoff]

EXCELLENT!!! Set goals... break records. Good job, keep up the urgent necessity.

[morris Chapnick]

I have a thought. Since the flood of illegal immigrants coming to America in the hopes of escaping a life of endless poverty, in the process overwhelming, among other things, hospital ER rooms, how about this. We provide foreign aid to a lot of countries, so why not deduct whatever costs that are incurred tending to the illegal immigrants in this country from their respective country's foreign aid.
That way, everybody will be happy. In particular, out strained budgets.

[All Hallows Eve]

it's at an all time high when compared to non-existent...

[jake]

And how many of those 392,000 are already back in the US? How many will be prosecuted for re-entry if caught?

It's great so many were deported, but it's the tip of the iceberg. What's being done to change the mindset of so many foreign nationals who think it's their God given right to live and work in this country. What is the government doing to force employers to hire Americans (at American wages) rather than hire illegals.

[Robert NO longer in LA]

Ain't NO WHERE near enough!!

[Hmph]

"...nearly 80% of people detained through the Secure Communities program were not criminals"

Um, excuse me, but being an ILLEGAL immigrant, by definition, means you have broken U.S. law! We don't need to wait until they rob, rape, or kill anyone.

DEPORT!

[SnapTie]

Say all you want but i was in the halls of congress in July 2006 when the house passed the funding for this program.Why it went up was they funded the fingerprinting program.Giving all States,Counties and Cities three years to comply when someone is arrested to check their residency status.Obama didn't start it and he sure can't stop it.This is federal law written in 1986.Congress finally came to funding it.

[youareuniquelikeeveryonelse]

392,000 is a drop in the bucket, Janet. Why don't you and your government department earn their big paychecks and add a zero to the end of that number?

[Judy]

No kudos to Napolitano or Baca for that matter. There are still so many here that are hardened criminals. The Times reports on them almost daily. Not to mention the others that break the law by just being here illegally. I no longer care to hear the lib groups tells us how downtrodden and poor these people are. We have poverty here among people with the right to be here. Think what could be done for the homeless if our tax dollar wasn't going to these illegals. I wonder if state budgets would be manageable.

[James Jackson]

The Democrats throw the voters the crumbs of these petty deportation figures as election day nears. Were that number twice as big and included also deportation of employers (regardless of citizenship) of illegal aliens, that would begin to impress the public. The responses in these comments probably accurately reflect the true sentiments of legal residents here.

Nevertheless, of the pitiable choices voters must make in these elections, the Democrats have a slight edge in credibility compared to the billionaires and religious nut right-wing extremists this election offers, whom we might suspect of prioritizing their own personal agendas over public needs. California will portend a new Dark Ages in America if the Whitman-Fiorina-Cooley triumvirate prevail in this election.