Nearly 205K Deportations of Parents of U.S. Citizens in Just Over Two Years

[grantcart]

11. Any immigration statistic that doesn't differentiate between those

that are charged with or suspected of criminal activity and those that are law abiding undocumented workers isn't worth anything IMO.

I have seen professional advocates continually blur the distinction in order to ramp up numbers.

Now for some facts. ICE has already been instructed not to pursue any deportation against anyone who has no criminal or suspected criminal action. In addition the Obama administration has made an explicit order to parents of US citizens:

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/08/26/new-obama-directive-urges-discretion-for-undocumented-parents-minors/

The new policy, called “The Parental Interests Directive” and issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement within the Department of Homeland Security, urges immigration authorities to consider alternatives to detention for undocumented immigrants when minor children are involved.

It calls for making sure that detained parents have as much involvement with their children — and any child welfare requirements and proceedings — as possible. And among key changes sought in the directive are keeping detained parents close to where their children live, as opposed to holding them in another state, and bringing back deported parents who are in danger of losing their children so they can participate in hearings and regain custody.

The directive still requires ICE agents to detain and deport immigrants who have serious criminal offenses, experts noted.

Republicans have already reacted against this

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/08/26/new-obama-directive-urges-discretion-for-undocumented-parents-minors/

“President Obama has once again abused his authority and unilaterally refused to enforce our current immigration laws by directing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to stop removing broad categories of unlawful immigrants,” Goodlatte said in a statement.

“This new directive from the Obama Administration also poisons the debate surrounding immigration reform and shows that the Administration is not serious about fixing our broken immigration system,” Goodlatte added. “Instead of working with Congress to address problems with our immigration system, the President is working against us

If the people were honest about these statistics they would show that these are largely undocumented workers who have run against the criminal justice system, ranging from DUIs and running a stop light to trafficking illegal substances. Some not as serious as others, but criminals do in fact have children.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2011-10-18/deportations-criminals-homeland-security/50807532/1

Under the Obama administration, Homeland Security issued new priorities to focus deportations on convicted criminals, people who pose threats to national security and repeated border-crossers. Last year, 55% of those deported were convicted criminals, the highest percentage in nearly a decade.

The other 45% include people that ICE have identified as having a 'high likelihood of criminal association', meaning that they are living a lavish lifestyle, driving late model car, associate with known gang members and have no visible means of support, or a job and those that are caught by the Border Patrol jumping the fence and either opt for self deportation (95%) or go to an immigration hearing and are ordered back.

Under the Obama Administration ICE has become so effective at deporting gang members back to Mexico and Central America that it is creating an epidemic there.

You can learn more about it here:

Take note of the statistics on page 7

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34112.pdf

Guess what, among those hundred of thousands with criminal association many of them have fathered children in the US.

Unless immigration advocates start coming clean with the statistics they actually undermine their arguments and muddy the water.