Deportation of criminals up in Salt Lake City

By david montero
The Salt Lake Tribune
First published 2 hours ago
Updated 21 minutes ago Updated Oct 21, 2011 08:56PM

More undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes were deported out of Salt Lake City in the past two years than in the previous three years combined, according to federal data obtained Friday.

In fiscal years 2010 and 2011, 8,893 convicted criminals were deported through the U.S. Immigration and Enforcement Removal Operations field office in Salt Lake City — which is the deportation hub for Utah, Nevada, Idaho and Montana.

From 2007 to 2009, 8,129 convicted criminals were deported.

The past two years also marked a reversal in convicted criminals being deported over noncriminals. From 2007 to 2009, the number of noncriminals being deported totaled 13,113 while in the past two years, that number plunged to 5,420.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the trends reflect the agency’s prioritization of targeting “those who present a risk to public safety.â€