More illegal immigrants with records deported

October 6, 2010

More illegal immigrants with criminal convictions are being deported, while removal of those deemed non-criminals is going down, according to government data.

Of the 350,000 people deported this year, more than half had criminal convictions, a 55 percent increase since 2008, the data show.

By contrast, noncriminal deportations -- which include voluntary returns -- have dropped 30 percent.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the trend shows a shift in the agency's priorities to focus on removing the most dangerous criminals from the country.

But Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, said ICE's focus on deporting the most violent criminals is "like putting up a speed limit sign on the highway that only applies if you are driving drunk or have guns in your car."

Immigrant rights groups, on the other hand, contend the majority of people being deported either are not criminals or were charged with low-level offenses, such as public intoxication or petty theft.

Scripps Howard News Service

http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/2776614,CST-NWS-deport06.article