The Obama administration has deported 77 of the 121 adults and children who were arrested in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and elsewhere this month as part of nationwide crackdown targeting immigrants illegally crossing the southwest border.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not provide a breakdown Tuesday of how many of those deportees were living in Georgia. The agency said those removed have been sent to Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. Among those who have been arrested but not expelled are immigrants who have pending appeals before the federal Board of Immigration Appeals.
“These enforcement actions targeted adults and their children who were subject to final orders of removal [and] who had an opportunity to present their claims to an immigration judge,” ICE spokesman Bryan Cox said in a statement.
The Obama administration says it is focusing on adults and children who were caught illegally crossing the southern border after May 1 of 2014 and who have been ordered deported. The crackdown comes amid a surge of Central Americans families and unaccompanied children streaming across the southwest border. Many are fleeing poverty and violent gangs.
Advocates for immigrants have criticized the government’s raids, noting many of those facing deportation fled extreme suffering in their native countries. Meanwhile, immigration watchdogs are doubtful the government’s actions will make a big dent in the population of those living illegally in the U.S.
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