Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Deportation up 63 percent in Georgia, Carolinas

There was a 63 percent increase in illegal immigrants deported from Georgia and the Carolinas in the 12 months ending in October, and thousands of criminals were tagged for removal from the country upon their release from prison, federal officials said Thursday The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Atlanta Field Office of Detention and Removal carried out a record 17,955 deportation orders, compared with 11,006 the previous year, officials said.

They were among more than 40,000 people the field office processed in the three states during the 2008 fiscal year. They included Nai Yin Xue, a New Zealand man wanted in his homeland for the killing of his wife. He was arrested in suburban Atlanta in late February and escorted back to New Zealand in March. Also deported was Afshin Rezaei, an Iranian living in Atlanta who pleaded guilty to exporting laptop computers to Iran through the United Arab Emirates in violation of export laws. With help from state and local authorities, ICE said it identified 9,182 criminal aliens who were incarcerated. Georgia led the way with more than 4,700.

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