A Decade of Rising Immigration Enforcement

"A Decade of Rising Immigration Enforcement"

Despite anti-immigration rhetoric to the contrary, U.S. immigration laws are enforced more strictly now (2012) than ever before due to legal and policy changes in recent years. The Department of Homeland Security has reported record numbers of removals during the Obama administration, especially of noncitizens with criminal convictions. Meanwhile, fewer noncitizens are trying to enter the country illegally and those caught by the Border Patrol are now regularly charged with federal crimes. Together, these trends reflect a sweeping and punitive transformation in U.S. immigration enforcement.  

This fact sheet, "A Decade of Rising Immigration Enforcement," uses the most recent data from the DHS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other sources to document:

1. "Removals" and "Returns";
2. "Criminal" and "non-criminal" removals; and,
3. "Illegal entry" and "illegal re-entry"

A web version of the fact sheet is also available.

Report File: 

IPC_-_A_Decade_of_Rising_Immigration_Enforcement.pdf