Thread: Harris County, TX. Ranks Third In “Secure Communities” Deportations

Report: Harris County Ranks Third In “Secure Communities” Deportations

Texas, and Harris County, have been ground zero for immigration crackdowns, according to a new report.

ELIZABETH TROVALL | POSTED ON NOVEMBER 19, 2018, 12:18 PM

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Harris County ranks third in deportations nationwide through a major immigration enforcement program called “Secure Communities“, according to new data from Syracuse University.

Texas averaged 1,975 deportations per month during the first nine months of fiscal year 2018, more than any other state in the country.

Total deportations in Harris County alone were over 1,800 in that same time frame.

Numbers offer a glimpse at immigration enforcement at a state and county level, but not a complete picture, said Susan Long, director of Syracuse University’s TRAC research center, which tracks immigration law enforcement data.

Figure 1. Top 10 Counties/Surrounding Locales Where Most ICE Community Arrests Occurred,
FY 2018 (October 2017 - May 2018)

“It would be nice to do this for all ICE removals, but ICE contends it isn’t possible,” said Long.

She said ICE claims to only track “Secure Communities” data at a county level, those are deportations that have relied on FBI fingerprint data and often involve local law enforcement.

“What we do have are ‘Secure Communities’, which are a very substantial part of ICE removals,” said Long.

ICE’s “Secure Communities” program facilitates cooperation of local law enforcement with immigration officials. It uses FBI fingerprint data and will detain immigrants until ICE can take them into their custody, even if the immigrant hasn’t yet been convicted of a crime.

Of the 1,861 Harris County “Secure Communities” deportations occurring in the first nine months of fiscal year 2018, 36 percent had been convicted of Level 1 crimes, offenses that include homicide, kidnapping and sexual assault.

The “Secure Communities” program piloted in Harris County during the end of the Bush administration and was ramped up during Obama’s first term.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/a...-deportations/

Table 2. Top 25 Counties/Surrounding Locales Where ICE Arrests Ocurred During October 2017 - May 2018

Total ICE Arrests - All Sources*			ICE Arrests Out in Community
Top 25 Counties	Number	Rank	Top 25 Counties	Number	Rank
Harris County, TX	6,265	1	San Bernardino County, CA	982	1
San Diego County, CA	4,070	2	DeKalb County, GA	931	2
Maricopa County, AZ	3,852	3	New York County, NY	887	3
Dallas County, TX	3,729	4	Harris County, TX	835	4
Tom Green County, TX	2,035	5	San Diego County, CA	809	5
Los Angeles County, CA	1,944	6	Los Angeles County, CA	687	6
San Bernardino County, CA	1,871	7	Essex County, NJ	676	7
Walker County, TX	1,762	8	Cook County, IL	656	8
DeKalb County, GA	1,733	9	Maricopa County, AZ	647	9
Cameron County, TX	1,568	10	Miami-Dade County, FL	620	10
Bexar County, TX	1,558	11	Suffolk County, MA	592	11
Miami-Dade County, FL	1,513	12	Jefferson County, KY	556	12
Gwinnett County, GA	1,462	13	York County, PA	523	13
Clark County, NV	1,373	14	Wayne County, MI	492	14
Garza County, TX	1,348	15	Philadelphia County, PA	488	15
Cook County, IL	1,334	16	King County, WA	463	16
Kern County, CA	1,235	17	Salt Lake County, UT	425	17
Travis County, TX	1,161	18	Dallas County, TX	405	18
New York County, NY	1,113	19	Franklin County, OH	394	19
Essex County, NJ	1,026	20	Ramsey County, MN	363	20
Oklahoma County, OK	898	21	Marion County, IN	339	21
Frio County, TX	882	22	Martin County, FL	320	22
Caddo County, OK	879	23	Jefferson County, AL	302	23
Mecklenburg County, NC	840	24	Mecklenburg County, NC	283	24
Suffolk County, MA	805	25	Kern County, CA	282	25

* updated 10/26/2018

http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/533/