Aug 27, 2010

U.S. to stop deporting immigrants who may be eligible for green cards

06:01 PM 3

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has decided to stop deporting foreign nationals who may be eligible for a green card and who have no criminal record, the Miami Herald reports. The policy shift might possibly affect tens of thousands married or related to a U.S. citizen or a legal resident who has filed petitions for immigration.

The change was outlined in an Aug. 20 memo that ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton sent to the agency's principal legal adviser and to the head of enforcement and removal operations.

"Where there is an underlying application or petition and ICE determines ... that a non-detained individual appears eligible for relief from removal, [its attorneys] should promptly move to dismiss proceedings,'' Morton wrote.

The agency released a statement that reiterated its policy of "focusing first on removing foreign nationals who have criminal convictions," the paper writes.

"This administration is committed to smart, effective immigration reform, prioritizing the arrest and removal of criminal aliens and those who pose a danger to national security,'' the statement said. "In 2010 to date, ICE has removed more than 150,000 convicted criminals — a record number.''

The immigration advocate who obtained the memo and passed it to El Nuevo Herald, the Herald's Spanish-language counterpart, hailed the change.

"This is the kind of reform we need," said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. "Targeting those who intend to do harm while expediting the cases of law-abiding immigrants is the best use of ICE's precious resources and will save taxpayers money.''

Separately, ICE announced that it had arrested 370 "convicted criminal aliens and immigration fugitives" during a three-day sweep that ended last night. The agency said it was the largest such crackdown in the Midwest. Details here.
----------------------------------------------
Post comments @

http://www.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/Index