According to the latest reports, the Obama administration has deported fewer immigrants over the past 12 months than at any time since 2006. Over the past year, a total of 231,000 people were deported; roughly 136,700 were convicted criminals. This number does not include Mexican nationals who were caught at the U.S./Mexico border and quickly returned home.
The total deportation number dropped 42 percent since 2012.
“[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has refined its priorities to improve the quality of its removals by focusing on the most serious public safety and national security threats as well as recent border crossers,” said I.C.E. spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea said. “As a result, overall removals may show a decline, consistent with a substantial drop in overall apprehension, among other factors.”
