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Obama’s new Priority Enforcement Program, announced in November 2014, more specifically targets those convicted of felonies, high level or repeated misdemeanors and crimes associated with gang activity. It also prioritizes those apprehended crossing the border and those suspected of terrorism or other national security concerns.
Even so, only about 10 percent of deportation proceedings, or 19,577 cases, filed in fiscal 2015 involved a criminal charge, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse based out of Syracuse University. In 2016, it was about 7 percent of the cases, and so far in fiscal 2017, that number is back at 10 percent, with 1,218 such cases filed through the end of November.
The majority of cases are for civil immigration violations, which include entering the U.S. without being inspected at the border, overstaying a visa, and working while on a visa that does not allow it.
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