Thread: SE Texas: Deportation of Criminal Aliens on Rise

Deportation of 'criminal aliens' on the rise
A record number of immigrants, most with records, are removed in the Houston area
By SUSAN CARROLL HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Aug. 7, 2010, 12:27AM



Nearly 8 in 10 illegal immigrants removed from Southeast Texas since the start of the fiscal year had criminal records, authorities said, underscoring the Obama administration's commitment to focus its immigration enforcement strategy on so-called "criminal aliens."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from the Houston field office, which covers the southeastern portion of the state, have removed a record-setting 13,790 illegal immigrants with criminal records since the start of the fiscal year Oct. 1. That number is slightly higher than the 13,662 removed in all of last year, the previous record.

Ken Landgrebe, head of ICE's Detention and Removal Operations in Houston, said the increase was due in part to ICE's partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies, which have signed on to help the overburdened agency identify illegal immigrants in prisons and jails.

"We focus just about all of our efforts on criminal aliens," Landgrebe said.

Nationally, just over half of removals reported by ICE so far this year have involved "criminal aliens," which the agency defines as anyone convicted of a crime other than illegal entry. That's up from less than one-third in 2008.

Partnerships praised
In June, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton issued a memo stating that ICE only has the resources to remove about 400,000 illegal immigrants from the U.S. annually — less than 4 percent of the estimated illegal population. Citing "limited enforcement resources," Morton emphasized that ICE needs to prioritize targeting illegal immigrants who pose a danger to national security or a risk to public safety.

Landgrebe credited ICE's partnerships with state and local agencies, including the Harris County Sheriff's Office and Houston Police Department, with helping to identify record numbers of illegal immigrants in prisons and jails. In August 2008, Harris County signed on for ICE's controversial 287(g) program, which trained jailers to assist ICE agents.

In December, HPD started screening suspects booked into its jails through another program, also used by the sheriff's office, dubbed "Secure Communities," which uses fingerprints to identify illegal immigrants with a criminal history.

Advocates are wary
In 2008, just 53 percent of illegal immigrants removed from the Houston area were classified as criminal aliens.

"We like to think that we set the lead for years for our apprehensions of criminal aliens, and it's improved every year," Landgrebe said.

Immigrant advocates locally have been wary of ICE's partnerships with local law enforcement, and criticized the agency's definition of a "criminal alien" as being too broad.

"Even though they're saying they're removing 'criminal aliens,' we have to see what kind of criminal aliens they are," said Cesar Espinosa, a Houston immigrant advocate. "They may have misdemeanors or nonviolent crimes."

While ICE's efforts to target criminals have increased, its deportations of illegal immigrants with no criminal history have dropped.

According to ICE data analyzed by researchers at Syracuse University, ICE removed 142,000 illegal immigrants with no criminal history during the first nine months of the current fiscal year, 30 percent less than the 202,000 removed during the same time last year.

Not enough, critics say
Morton emphasized in the memo that he is not trying to discourage the removal of illegal immigrants who do not fall into the top priority category.

He did, however, stress that "absent extraordinary circumstances," ICE agents should not use their resources to detain suspected illegal immigrants who are ill, pregnant, nursing, elderly or the sole caretakers for others.

Curtis Collier, president of Spring-based U.S. Border Watch, said the federal government needs to do a better job of removing illegal immigrants, regardless of whether they have a criminal history in the U.S.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "The border is left unsecured, and the number of people deported is an abysmal."

susan.carroll@chron.com



http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 43319.html

More propaganda spread by DHS and the Houston Chronicle. We just heard from the Border Patrol and ICE that they are not allowed to do their jobs and deportations and arrests are down. The exact reason the voted no confidence. They are tired of being a "theater."

America has become a communist country. We are fed lies and propaganda every day by our own government and MSM.

WE MUST DEPORT NOT JUST CRIMINAL ALIENS, BUT ALL ALIENS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE MUST DEPORT THOSE ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO OVERSTAY THEIR VISAS OR ENTER WITHOUT VISAS. THOSE ARE VIOLATING OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS. DEPORT ALL ALIENS NOW. IT IS TIME TO END ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. IF REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS CANNOT OR DO NOT WANT TO ENFORCE CURRENT IMMIGRATION LAWS, THEN IT IS TIME FOR THEM TO GO AND WE HAVE TO ELECT NEW PEOPLE WHO WILL ENFORCE OUR LAWS. AND WE HAVE TO ELECT PEOPLE WHO WILL NOT LISTEN TO LA RAZA, TO ILLEGAL ALIENS, TO FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS AND TO UNIONS. IT IS TIME TO END ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. WE CAN DO IT IF WE DO IT WITH THE RIGHT INDIVIDUALS. WE DO NOT NEED DEMOCRATS.

Originally Posted by bigtex

More propaganda spread by DHS and the Houston Chronicle. We just heard from the Border Patrol and ICE that they are not allowed to do their jobs and deportations and arrests are down. The exact reason the voted no confidence. They are tired of being a "theater."

America has become a communist country. We are fed lies and propaganda every day by our own government and MSM.

I'm afraid you're right.

Sounds like if they deport the ones with records, then the ones that are 'clean' will qualify for amnesty?

Originally Posted by legalalien

Sounds like if they deport the ones with records, then the ones that are 'clean' will qualify for amnesty?

That is what I often refer to as "spoonfed amnesty".

Originally Posted by Rai7965

Originally Posted by legalalien

Sounds like if they deport the ones with records, then the ones that are 'clean' will qualify for amnesty?

That is what I often refer to as "spoonfed amnesty".

FORK THAT!

RELATED

Study: 137,000 Criminals Deported So Far in 2010

(Report @ http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/234/ )

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-208208.html

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

RELATED

Study: 137,000 Criminals Deported So Far in 2010

(Report @ http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/234/ )

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-208208.html

It would be interesting to see a graph breakdown by nationality.

Originally Posted by Ratbstard

Originally Posted by Rai7965

Originally Posted by legalalien

Sounds like if they deport the ones with records, then the ones that are 'clean' will qualify for amnesty?

That is what I often refer to as "spoonfed amnesty".

FORK THAT!

I know. IMO, if they can show that all bad guys have been deported, then it would build a case for allowing the so-called 'non-criminal' types to remain under a provisional amnesty. Just sayin' I hope that's not the case.