ImmigrationNearly 500,000 immigrants deported from U.S. in 2016
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency reported that nearly half million immigrants were deported in 2016. The agency did not offer details about the nationalities of the deported immigrants. In all., 530,250 individuals were apprehended across the United States in 2016 – of which 450,954 were removed.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency reported that nearly half million immigrants were deported in 2016.
The agency did not offer details about the nationalities of the deported immigrants.
The Jamaica Observer reports that 530,250 individuals were apprehended across the United States in 2016 – of which 450,954 were removed.
The US Border Patrol reported 415,816 apprehensions, compared to 337,117 apprehensions by the Border Patrol in 2015. ICE noted that 114,434 individuals were arrested last year, compared to 125,211 in 2015.
“The department continues to successfully implement the civil immigration enforcement priorities announced by Secretary [Jeh] Johnson in November 2014,” ICE said, noting that last year, 98 percent of initial enforcement actions involved individuals classified within one of the three enforcement priority categories.
Johnson said the numbers listed in the report “reflect the continued effort by this Administration to dedicate the Department of Homeland Security’s resources to smart enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws, with a particular focus on public safety and border security.
“We continued to strengthen the federal Government’s decades-long investment in border security. These investments have paid off,” he said.
Johnson added that apprehensions on the border in recent years — a good indicator of total attempts to cross the border — are much lower than they used to be.
ICE said that 94 percent of removals and returns were classified within a Priority 1 category, and 5 percent were classified within a Priority 2 category, which comprises “serious and repeat misdemeanants, individuals who unlawfully entered the United States on or after January 1, 2014, and significant abusers of the visa system or visa waiver program.”
ICE also said that 1 percent of immigrants were classified within a Priority 3 category – these are “individuals issued a final order of removal on or after January 1, 2014.”
ICE said that less than 0.1 percent of removals and returns involved individuals classified as other federal interests, and less than 0.3 percent had unknown priority classifications.
