It is truly unfortunate, but it appears that the Obama administration’s eagerness to deport record numbers of illegal immigrants is also resulting in the government deporting people who are U.S. citizens. Any California resident watching the news of late knows that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is conducting more immigration raids. During the last fiscal year alone, some 396,000 people were deported. But in some cases, deportation and removal proceedings were less than accurate, resulting in some legal citizens being deported by mistake.
This claim comes from a Northwestern University political science professor, who said that although the rate is low, ICE is detaining U.S. citizens illegally. The professor looked at about 8,000 cases in just two immigration detention facilities. She found that about 1 percent of the time, people were eventually let go because they were U.S. citizens.
An example is a man who was deported in 2008. The man had a history of mental problems and gave ICE differing accounts of his citizenship. Apparently, the authorities ignored his records, which said that he was born in the United States, and that he had no known relatives in Mexico. The man was deported but eventually was able to return to the United States.
This is just one example of how people can run into trouble when it comes to immigration issues. Finding representation for detainees can be difficult, and deportation and removal proceedings can be exhaustive and long-lasting. When people are in need of immigration assistance, they may wish to consider consulting with a California attorney who is skilled in immigration law.
Source: NPR, “In The Rush To Deport, Expelling U.S. Citizens,” Ted Robbins, Oct. 24, 2011