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TRAC: Criminal Activity Cited in Smaller Fraction of Deportation Filings

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “During the current fiscal year, only 14.7 percent of the new filings in Immigration Court sought to deport noncitizens based on alleged criminal activity rather than violations of immigration requirements. This is slightly lower than the 16.1 percent that prevailed during the last year of the Bush Administration. And it is only about half the proportion of 28.5 percent that was seen twenty years ago, according to the latest (June 2013) data obtained and analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). This continuing decline in the emphasis on criminal activity as the basis for seeking deportation orders runs counter to the Obama administration’s announced targeting objectives. However, states varied widely in whether criminal activity was a significant source for new Immigration Court filings. Hawaii had the highest proportion (47.2 percent) of removal cases that were based on alleged criminal activity. Connecticut was second with 35.2 percent, and Utah was third with 30.9 percent. At the other extreme, Tennessee had the lowest proportion, with only 1.7 percent of filings alleging criminal activity as the reason the government sought removal.  See the national highlights here. To view the states and nationalities with the highest versus lowest proportion of removal filings based on alleged criminal activity, use the web-based query tool here.”

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