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 [1]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.
HERE [2]