New Policy Slow to Clear Deportation Backlog

The Arizona Republic reported that federal immigration officials’ efforts to reduce backlogged immigration courts falls short of the expectations of immigrant advocates, who hoped the new discretion policy would help counter the number of deportations that have taken place under President Obama’s administration. The discretion policy, enacted last June, allows officials to halt deportation cases of immigrants who have not committed serious crimes, have lived in the United States for many years, have U.S. citizen children, are students or who came to the United States when they were minors. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released national statistics that show 9 percent of the 232, 281 cases in the system qualify for closure under the year-old prosecutorial discretion policy. However, officials have closed less than 2 percent of the cases in the past six months.

While some immigrant advocates believe the new policy is a failure, Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigration advocacy group America’s Voice, believes it is the implementation of the policy that is failing. Sharry blames Department of Homeland security officials, who he says "are more concerned with angering Republican critics than with the priorities recommended by the Obama administration."

Immigrants whose cases have closed do not receive any legal status, but some have received permits that allow them to work in the United States.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2012/06/08/20120608deportation-new-policy-slow-clear-backlog.html

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