Thread: Feds Suspend Some Deportation Cases In Washington

Feds Suspend Some Deportation Cases In Washington

Liz Jones
02/13/2012 ShareThis

Since this summer, federal authorities in Washington state have stepped up efforts to deport serious criminals. It's part of a national program that shares information between local jails and immigration agents. But critics are concerned a lot of non–criminals are getting caught up in the system and swiftly deported.

KUOW's Liz Jones has this update on how the program is working so far.

TRANSCRIPT

The feds call the program Secure Communities. It basically sets up an automatic way for local jails to share fingerprint data with immigration agents. So if someone's in the country illegally, immigration can ask local jails to keep the person in custody.

The program started in 2008, but it really ramped up in the past year or so. It was activated in all of Oregon and Idaho last year, along with six counties in eastern Washington. Yakima County was the first to come online in June.

Campbell: "It is a plus for the community to have that technology and that database available to us."

That's Ed Campbell, director of the Yakima County Jail. He thinks immigration agents are targeting the right people.

Campbell: "They'll come in and interview the individual then make a determination on whether or not they maintain the hold or release the subject. You know, we are seeing the serious felons and high–level offenders having holds placed on them."

But critics have questioned the program, as it recently spread to more states.

Federal statistics showed most people who were kept in jail under the Secure Communities program were non–criminals. Or they were charged with minor offenses, like driving without a license.

The Obama administration responded with new guidelines. They gave immigration agents and prosecutors more leeway to suspend these low–level cases — and potentially let those immigrants stay in the country.

Jorge Baron heads the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project. He's happy this new process is starting to help some of his clients avoid deportation.

Baron: "Primarily, those are cases where a person has had a long history of being here in the United States. They have family ties here. They don't have a criminal record."

And, most often, they also have an attorney who can aggressively fight for them.

Baron points out that's not the case for most people facing deportation.

Baron: "That's the primary concern I have right now is that there may be people who are in the detention center who may very well have those factors, but that information is not in the file that Immigration is reviewing, and they don't have an attorney who's going to advocate for them."

Although Baron is seeing more low–level cases suspended, local deportation statistics don't yet reflect this shift.

During Secure Communities' first six months in Washington, the program led to 222 deportations. More than 60 percent of those are low–level or non–criminal cases.

Meanwhile, on a national level, immigration officials say non–criminal deportations have dropped about 30 percent since the program first started.

Secure Communities is slated to be in place throughout the country by 2013.

I'm Liz Jones, KUOW News.

Feds Suspend Some Deportation Cases In Washington

Im NOT alone when I say: Im FED up with the FEDs and all this "helping illegals" stuff! Its beyond the point of Pandemic and repulsive!!

We have Americans who NEED help and They, Americans should be the focus and priority..Enough spending money and footing bills for illegals...Spend money on Americans and help the struggles of Americans!!!