Latinos Disproportionately Targeted for Deportation by the Obama Administration

The Cal Berkeley Institute on Law and Social Policy has just released a report entitled: "Secure communities by the number: An AnAlysis of Demographics and Due Process."  The report was written by Aarti  Kohli, Peter l. Markowitz, and Lisa Chavez, who were motivated to action by the million plus people that have been deported since the beginning of the Obama administration, and the fact that almost 300,000 individuals are currently facing deportation.

These staggering numbers are in large part a result of the Secure Communities program, which partners local law enforcement with immigration officials.  The report analyzes the data that was generated by the Federal Government from the program. The findings show systemic deprivation of due process, that a significant percentage of apprehended individuals should never have been placed in immigration custody, and the existence of racial profiling.

Here are the key findings of the report:

• Approximately 3,600 United States citizens have been arrested by ice through the Secure communities program;
• More than one-third (39%) of individuals arrested through Secure Communities report that they have a U.S. citizen spouse or child, meaning that approximately 88,000 families with U.S. citizen members have been impacted by Secure communities;
• Latinos comprise 93% of individuals arrested through Secure communities though they only comprise 77% of the undocumented population in the United States;
• Only 52% of individuals arrested through Secure communities are slated to have a hearing before an immigration judge;
• Only 24% of individuals arrested through Secure communities and who had immigration hearings had an attorney compared to 40% of all immigration court respondents who have counsel;
• Only 2% of non-citizens arrested through Secure communities are granted relief from deportation by an immigration judge as compared to 14% of all immigration court respondents who are granted relief;
• A large majority (83%) of people arrested through Secure communities are placed in ICE detention as compared with an overall DHS immigration detention rate of 62%, and ICE does not appear to be exercising discretion based on its own prioritization system when deciding whether or not to detain an individual.

What the authors found "most disturbing" is that 3 ,600 (1.6%) of the cases involved the apprehension and detention of United States citizens by ICE.

This President certainly can't change the law with a sweep of his pen, but he certainly has the power to end a program within his jurisdiction that is clearly not working.

Stop lying to us Mr. President.  You do have the power to change the way business is being done, and it is clear that you have no interest in doing so.

Shame on you, and shame on anyone who votes for you.

Click here to read the full report.