Bloomberg
By Michael C. Bender
April 7, 2014
Tens
of thousands of undocumented immigrants deported from the U.S. last
year may have been eligible to begin the citizenship process under a
Senate-passed bill that isn’t
moving forward in the House.
Data
from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released to Bloomberg
News adds to the pressure that President Barack Obama is facing from
labor groups and Democrats
in Congress, who want his administration to curtail deportations.
“These
numbers provide the evidence that we’ve needed,” said Marielena
Hincapié, executive director of the Washington-based National
Immigration Law Center, which supports
easing U.S. immigration laws. “It shows that the people being deported
under the Obama administration are the very same people this
administration wants to provide a path to citizenship.”
About
76,200 immigrants, representing some 20 percent of all deportations
from the U.S. last year, were expelled after being convicted of
immigration-related crimes or
traffic offenses, the immigration and customs data show. Those
infractions generally wouldn’t block citizenship under the Senate
measure.
Obama’s administration deported an average of about 1,000 immigrants a day last year, more than under any other president.
The
president has emphasized record deportations to show he’s tough on
immigration enforcement. Some fellow Democrats have pushed back, saying
Obama should halt deportations
of those who have committed minor infractions or immigration-related
offenses, such as being caught multiple times crossing the border.
Jeopardizing Legislation
House
Republicans, who haven’t acted on broad immigration-law revisions, say
any executive action curbing deportations would jeopardize legislation
sought by such companies
as Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Caterpillar Inc.
The
Obama administration shifted priorities for immigration enforcement in
2011, putting the focus on those who pose threats to national security,
public safety and border
security. That was a departure from policies under President George W.
Bush, which emphasized raids on businesses suspected of hiring
undocumented immigrants.
The
shift has made a difference: More than 216,800 immigrants were
convicted of a crime before being deported from the U.S. in 2013,
compared with 132,500 in 2008, according
to ICE data. About half of that increase was from a 185 percent rise in
undocumented immigrants convicted of immigration-related crimes.
Lesser Offenses
The
new data show many immigrants are being deported for misdemeanor crimes
or offenses that wouldn’t bar citizenship under the Senate bill. Of
368,600 deportations last
year, about 63,800 were for immigration-related crimes, while 12,400
were for traffic offenses, ICE data show.
Asked
about a New York Times story yesterday that almost 2 million
deportation cases since Obama took office involve people who had
committed minor infractions or had
no criminal record, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters
that 98 percent of deportations last year met the administration’s
enforcement priorities. Carney said Obama has ordered a review of the
U.S. deportation system to find ways to “more humanely”
enforce the laws.
“The
president has made clear, he remains deeply concerned about the pain
too many families feel from the separation that comes from our broken
immigration system,” Carney
said yesterday.
Under
the bill the Senate passed 68-32 last June -- with support from 14
Republicans -- undocumented immigrants generally would be eligible for citizenship if they were
in the U.S. before Jan. 1, 2012, and weren’t convicted of a felony or
more than two misdemeanors.
Immigration-related
crimes wouldn’t count toward that total, said Marc Rosenblum, deputy
director of the U.S. immigration policy program for the Washington-based
Migration
Policy Institute.
Obama
eased deportations before his re-election in 2012, exempting some
undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. Senate
staff told White House
officials at a meeting last month that Obama could also stop deporting
parents of U.S. citizens and others who would be protected under the
Senate bill.
Some
advocates say changes in deportation policy could help Obama gain favor
with Hispanic voters heading into the 2014 election that will determine
control of Congress
for his final two years in office.
Obama’s
approval rating among Hispanics has dropped 18 points since last May to
57 percent, according to Gallup polling. He won 71 percent of the
Hispanic vote in 2012,
exit polls showed.
“The
administration has been throwing sand in our face,” said Frank Sharry,
executive director of America’s Voice, a Washington-based group that
supports easing immigration
laws. “There couldn’t be anything more callous and heartless than
deporting people who would be eligible for relief under legislation
you’re fighting for.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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