Even as the number of illegal immigrants caught trying to enter the U.S. soared by 15 percent in fiscal year 2014, the number of those deported dropped sharply by 14 percent.
The Los Angeles Times, from a draft of a year-end report compiled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), noted that 315,943 illegal aliens were deported as of Sept. 30, the "lowest total since President Obama took office," figures which are "likely to give new ammunition to Republicans who accuse the administration of lax enforcement, although it could also boost the president's standing in Latino communities."
Even more surprising, the report shows that only 102,224 illegal aliens were removed from the interior of the country, not the border area, a number which dropped by 23 percent from last year and less than half of the number deported in 2011, and of those, 85 percent were convicted of crimes,
Breitbart News reports.
The majority of those had felony convictions or at least three misdemeanor convictions,
the Times notes.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told the Times the decrease was caused by "lax interior enforcement policies, adding, "We essentially tell citizens of other countries, 'If you come here, you can stay — don't worry, we won't deport you,'
"The reality on the ground is that unless you commit multiple crimes, the chances of your being removed from this country are close to zero."
The majority of those caught crossing the border last year were not from Mexico, but from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, and require longer deportation procedures than Mexican illegal aliens, since they must be flown home, are more likely to claim political asylum and require travel documents, the Times notes, mandating lengthy hearing procedures.
"In some instances, ICE cannot repatriate individuals to their countries of origin or nationality within the statutory time limits" and must "by law, release individuals from custody," ICE reports.
Mexican "removals" dropped from 66 percent to 56 percent, the ICE report states. More than half of those apprehended were from countries other than Mexico, up from around a third last year.
Obama's decision to drop the Secure Communities program, in which local police were apprehending and holding illegal aliens caught for local violations, also contributed to the lowering of the numbers of those deported from the interior, Gillian Christensen, press officer for ICE, told the Times.
In all, 127,000 illegal aliens, including 30,862 convicted of crimes, were released in 2014 to make more room for other apprehended illegals, ICE noted.
Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., told the Times, "That further erodes the trust of the American people. The American people want to see border security. They want to see deportations."
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