http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 26020/1075

Originally posted on March 26, 2007

Pilot program speeds up deportation of convicted legal residents


MIAMI (AP) — At international airports around Florida customs officials are testing a pilot program that speeds up the deportation process of some green card holders with criminal convictions in the United States, authorities said.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilot program, which started Oct. 15 and will continue indefinitely, checks the names of arriving green-card holders against databases containing nationwide court records, terror watch lists and other law enforcement information. Officials then issue Notices to Appear to convicted green card holders, The Miami Herald reported.
The notices give immigration officers the authority to start deportation proceedings by either detaining them or ordering them to appear before an immigration judge.
“It’s not a change in policy. We’re actually enforcing the policy,” said Jennifer Connors, an agency spokeswoman. “So far we are really, really happy with it.”
The program allows immigration authorities to enforce an existing law that imposed restrictions on legal immigrants.
“A lot of these people are sexual offenders that you don’t want living in your community. We really have intercepted some bad criminals,” Connors said.