SENDING THEM BACK

Removals of illegal immigrants doubled last year in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s three-state region based in Atlanta. Part of the reason was the opening of a new detention center in south Georgia; illegal immigrants are sent there from several parts of the country, but their removals are counted as being from the Atlanta region. ICE spokesman Richard Rocha also credited greater cooperation with local law enforcement agencies with driving up the numbers.

REMOVALS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Fiscal year ..U.S…….Atlanta region

2005……….178,657 ..4,312

2006……….206,052 ..5,187

2007 *……..282,548 ..10,925

2008 *……..119,429 ..5,520

* includes “voluntary removals,” in which the deportee agrees to leave the country without a formal deportation order. 2007 removals included 41,769 such cases nationwide. 2008 figures represent the fiscal year through mid-March.

CRIMINAL REMOVALS

These involve immigrants who were convicted of a crime in the U.S. and deported.

Fiscal year ..U.S…….Atlanta region

2005……….83,389….2,291

2006……….92,554….2,521

2007……….96,243….4,590

2008……….38,716….1,918

COBB COUNTY’S AGGRESSIVE ENFORCEMENT

The Cobb sheriff’s department began screening foreign nationals lodged at the Cobb County jail in July 2007. Because the program is new, the numbers are sparse, but they’re growing.

……Foreign-born ..Immigration……Inmates

……inmates……..”hold” placed….removed

……questioned……on inmate ……by ICE

2007 ..2,170 ……….1,357 ……….748

2008 ..1,506 ……….1,012 ……….884

2007 figures are from July 1 through Dec. 31; 2008 figures are through March 31, according the sheriff’s department Web site.
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