| Less Than Half of Removal Orders Upheld by Immigration Judges in FY 2015 |
| (11 Jun 2015)
So far in FY 2015, the odds that a noncitizen will be ordered deported by an immigration judge have fallen to 48.4 percent -- the lowest level since at least FY 1998, according to the latest available Immigration Court data covering the period through the end of May 2015.
This is the first time that less than half the deportation orders sought nationwide by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were granted by the court, and represents a dramatic change from just four years ago: during FY 2011, deportation was ordered 70.2 percent of the time. This fraction fell to 62.6 percent during FY 2012, to 52.9 percent in FY 2013 and was down to 50.7 percent last year.
For longer-term trends, see the snapshot report at: http://trac.syr.edu/imm/outcome_leave/Over the same time period, there has been a significant shift in the grounds DHS has provided when seeking deportation. For the 227,681 cases disposed of in FY 2011, criminal activity was cited as the basis for the removal of 39,695 noncitizens, or 17.4 percent of the total. This number had fallen to 33,381 during FY 2013 and was down to 26,242 in FY 2014. Of a total of 193,786 cases projected to be completed in FY 2015, only 21,480 (11.1%) are expected to cite criminal activity as the basis of the removal order. For more details on the composition of completed cases -- by charge, immigration court, hearing location and nationality -- see: http://trac.syr.edu/imm/court_proctime_charge/Many of TRAC's other free query tools -- including those on DHS filings, prosecutorial discretion and much more -- have also been updated through May 2015. For an index to the full list of TRAC's immigration tools go to: http://trac.syr.edu/imm/tools/TRAC is self-supporting and depends on foundation grants, individual contributions and subscription fees for the funding needed to obtain, analyze and publish the data we collect on the activities of the US Federal government. To help support TRAC's ongoing efforts, go to: http://trac.syr.edu/sponsor/ |
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