Issues: Detention & Deportation
Overview
Despite the hopes and expectations of immigrant communities and advocates, the Obama Administration has once again deported immigrants at a record pace with 392,862 deportations in Fiscal Year 2010 (The administration had deported 389,000 in Fiscal Year 2009, a record at the time). While the administration has shown an increased focus on immigrants with criminal records, the majority of deportations in FY’10 were still non-criminal. Moreover, many of those criminal removals that the administration touts are low level offenders who pose no threat to their communities.
Reduce Deportations – Nearly 200,000 non-criminals were deported from the United States in fiscal year 2010. These are workers and neighbors, mothers and fathers, friends and classmates. Many, if not most, would be eligible for any eventual comprehensive immigration reform, but will never have the opportunity to stay in the country. One study by the Department of Homeland Security found that between 1998 and 2007, at least 108,434 US Citizen Children lost at least one parent to deportation. MIRA works with our national partners to ensure that deportations numbers are reduced and that the administration takes humanitarian concerns into account when determining who to start deportation proceedings against.
Monitor Deportations – While we cannot stop all deportations, MIRA works to ensure that all deportations are carried out with dignity and respect as required by human rights standards. In this work, we collaborate with our members and partner agencies to make sure that their clients and members are treated humanely and we have the ability to bring any problems to the attention of both ICE’s local office of Enforcement and Removal Operations as well as ICE Headquarters if the need arises. We are also able to ensure that people are not unduly held in detention longer than need be.
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