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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) begin a review this week of all deportation cases, and plans to start a training program aimed at expediting deportations of convicted criminals and halting deportations of many illegal immigrants with no criminal record.
The training will instruct US immigration agency lawyers and agents working for the Government on how to use discretion in prosecuting cases involving illegal aliens. The training and initial pilot review of pending immigration cases is expected to run through January 13. During this time, immigrants identified as high priority will see their cases put onto an expedited calendar for judges to order their deportations, Homeland Security officials said.
The review and training are part of President Barack Obama's initiative announced in August represents a change of deportation policies. The new Obama administration policy will most likely see a scaling back of deportations of illegal immigrants who were young students, military service members, elderly people or close family of American citizens, among others.
In the last fiscal year, US immigration authorities have deported a record 400,000 illegal immigrants; nearly 55 percent of those arrested had criminal records. Homeland Security officials said those numbers would not decrease, but they wanted agents and courts to focus on deporting the worst offenders, including national security risks, criminal convicts and those who repeatedly violate immigration laws.
The goal is to "reduce inefficiencies that delay the removal of criminal aliens and other priority cases by preventing new low priority cases from clogging the immigration court dockets," the Homeland Security statement said.
The training will instruct US immigration agency lawyers and agents working for the Government on how to use discretion in prosecuting cases involving illegal aliens. The training and initial pilot review of pending immigration cases is expected to run through January 13. During this time, immigrants identified as high priority will see their cases put onto an expedited calendar for judges to order their deportations, Homeland Security officials said.
The review and training are part of President Barack Obama's initiative announced in August represents a change of deportation policies. The new Obama administration policy will most likely see a scaling back of deportations of illegal immigrants who were young students, military service members, elderly people or close family of American citizens, among others.
In the last fiscal year, US immigration authorities have deported a record 400,000 illegal immigrants; nearly 55 percent of those arrested had criminal records. Homeland Security officials said those numbers would not decrease, but they wanted agents and courts to focus on deporting the worst offenders, including national security risks, criminal convicts and those who repeatedly violate immigration laws.
The goal is to "reduce inefficiencies that delay the removal of criminal aliens and other priority cases by preventing new low priority cases from clogging the immigration court dockets," the Homeland Security statement said.
