Minnesota ICE: Immigration prosecutions jump by 650 percent in five years
By Andy Birkey , Minnesota Independent
July 26, 2008

According to Justice Department data compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), prosecutions for immigration-related crimes have climbed to record levels this year — and they climbed more in Minnesota than any other state for the first part of 2008.

By April, the last date for which information was available, prosecutions were up more than 650 percent compared with five years ago and up 146 percent over 2007. Nationally, prosecutions increased but by a much more modest number, 167 percent compared with five years ago, and only a 72 percent increase over 2007.

Prosecutions in Minnesota grew more than any other judicial district in the country as of March 2008. According to TRAC researchers, “The federal judicial district which showed the greatest growth in the rate of prosecutions compared to one year ago — 82.9 percent — was Minnesota. This was the same district that had the largest increase — 392.3% — when compared with five years ago.â€