U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday reported a steep drop in year over year deportations, saying it carried out 14 percent fewer in the fiscal year ending in September compared to the year before.
In all, ICE carried out 315,943 removals or returns in fiscal year 2014, down from 368,644 in fiscal year 2013.
Obama administration officials, however, said the overall drop in deportations totals only 6 percent when U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s removals and returns are factored in.
ICE pointed to several reasons for its drop in expulsions. First, ICE was forced to shift personnel to respond to the flood of unaccompanied Central American children illegally crossing the southwest border this year. It also takes ICE officials more time and resources to deport people to Central America compared to Mexico.
Second, an increasing number of state and local law enforcement officials are refusing to cooperate with ICE detainers, or formal requests to hold inmates beyond the time they would otherwise be released. That gives ICE time to take custody of them and attempt to deport them. ICE must spend more time and resources to locate and arrest people at large.
“Notwithstanding these challenges,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a prepared statement, “DHS components have adjusted and continue to successfully secure our borders and protect our communities.”
U.S. Border Patrol agents carried out additional deportations on the southwest border. In all, Border Patrol, ICE and other DHS authorities conducted 577,295 removals and returns last fiscal year.
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