Thread: U.S. to Speed Deportation of Criminals in Jail

U.S. to Speed Deportation of Criminals in Jail
By JULIA PRESTON
Published: January 15, 2008


Federal authorities expect to identify and deport more than 200,000 immigrants this year who are convicted criminals serving time in prisons and jails across the country, the country’s top federal immigration enforcement official said Monday.



James Estrin/The New York Times
Julie L. Myers is in charge of the
Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agency.




The effort to speed the deportation of foreign-born criminals is part of a campaign by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to help federal and state prisons reduce the costs of housing immigrants, the official, Julie L. Myers, assistant secretary of homeland security and head of the agency, said in an interview.

In 2007, Ms. Myers said, the agency, known as ICE, brought formal immigration charges against 164,000 immigrants who are behind bars nationwide for crimes committed in this country. Many of those immigrants are still in the United States and are also slated for deportation this year, she said. By comparison, in 2006, the agency identified 64,000 immigrants behind bars, most of whom were deported.

The big increase in deportations will place “a significant burden,â€

Here's an additional report from Reuter's
same story, different source

U.S. to step up deportation of jailed immigrants
Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:30am EST


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States expects to deport more than 200,000 immigrants this year who are serving time in prisons and jails across the country, the top U.S. immigration enforcement official said.

The move to speed the deportation of foreign-born criminals aims to help federal and state prisons reduce the costs of housing immigrants, Julie Myers, head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, told The New York Times.

Illegal immigration has emerged as one of the most passionate in the campaign for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

In 2007, ICE brought formal immigration charges against 164,000 immigrants who are behind bars nationwide, the Times reported on Tuesday.

Many of those immigrants are slated for deportation this year, she told the newspaper.

The Times said in 2006, the agency identified 64,000 immigrants behind bars, most of whom were deported.

Myers said in the past year, federal agents have stepped up efforts to find immigrants behind bars and complete immigration proceedings so they could be deported directly from prison without being released into the streets, Myers said.

Foreigners behind bars include large numbers of immigrants who were legal residents, but lost their legal status as a result of being convicted of crimes, Myers told the Times.

In 2007, ICE sent 276,912 immigrants to their home countries, including many who had never been arrested for crimes, but were deported for civil immigration violations, The New York Times reported.

The newspaper said Myers also confirmed that ICE adopted a new policy last week requiring a court order for medical staff members to give sedation drugs to immigrants being deported.

(Writing by Joanne Allen, editing by Doina Chiacu)

http://www.reuters.com/article/domestic ... 7620080115