4. Border and Enforcement News:

DHS figures show deportations doubled over ten years

The Medill Reports in Chicago is reporting that, according to the Department of Homeland Security, the rate of deportations have almost doubled in the past decade.

One-third of deportations in 2008 were due to criminal activity. Two thirds of crimes that resulted in deportation included illegal drug activity, immigration violation, and assault. The other two-thirds of immigrants who did not commit a crime were deported as a result of workplace raids, applying for and being denied certain immigration documentation, and/or air travel, where they were subject to identification verification.

The budgets of those agencies charged with enforcing deportations have risen substantially over a seven-year span. Between 2002 and 2008 The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection budgets nearly doubled from $7.5 billion to $14.5 billion.

Despite massive deportation efforts, the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. did not decline substantially over the past 10 years—until recently. The Department of Homeland Security and the Pew Hispanic Center estimate that since 2000 the number of undocumented migrants increased by more than 3 million people.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=157904

* * * * *

U. S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Thwart Human Smuggling Attempt

U. S. Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) is reporting that three Chinese nationals were apprehended as they attempted to enter the United States illegally while inside the sleeper cab of a commercial truck.

The truck was operated by a Canadian citizen. As he applied for admission into the United States at the Lewiston, N.Y border with Canada, the CBP officers selected the shipment for a random secondary inspection. The inspection resulted in the discovery of three Chinese nationals.

All four individuals were put under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for further investigation and prosecution. The three Chinese citizens were convicted of illegal entry into the United States and are being detained pending a deportation hearing before an immigration judge. The Canadian truck driver remains in ICE custody while awaiting prosecution on federal charges.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/02232010_5.xml

* * * * *

U.S. Citizen Suspected of Smuggling Unauthorized Migrants in Florida

The U. S. Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) reports that a U.S Citizen is suspected of smuggling migrants in the Florida area. Border Patrol agents in Miami intercepted undocumented migrants after reaching Florida by boat.

Border Patrol agents interviewed and processed one Dominican and four Haitian men, who appeared to be in good health.

As a result of an investigation focused on this interception, the Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted the U.S. citizen suspected of smuggling the migrants.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/02232010_8.xml

* * * * *