Record Number of Deportations
El Nuevo Herald, Posted: May 15, 2007
MIAMI - The bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has developed a powerful system to locate, detain and deport undocumented immigrants in unprecedented numbers, reports the Spanish-language newspaper El Nuevo Herald in Miami. While immigrant rights groups held rallies across the country to call for an end to raids and deportations, the number of deportations continues to escalate. The year 2006 was a "record year," with 195,024 deportations nationally, an 11.6 percent increase from 2005, El Nuevo Herald reports. Of this group, 88,662 had criminal records. The numbers have continued to grow in 2007: in the first trimester, ICE carried out 125,405 deportations. This number includes criminals who were deported after completing their sentences, ICE spokesperson Barbara González told El Nuevo Herald. ICE now has more resources and personnel, according to the article. The 2006 budget of $40.6 billion represented a 6.3 percent increase from 2005, and the 2007 budget increased by 25 percent, El Nuevo Herald reports. The increase in deportations is due to several policy changes, according to the report: the elimination of so-called "catch and release" practices along the border; an increase in the number of beds in detention facilities; expanding the number of Fugitive Operations Teams from 18 to 50 units to locate, detain and deport immigrants with criminal records; and the creation of a National Center to coordinate deportations of immigrants who are in prison.
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