Deportations In Michigan, Ohio Spike Under Trump: Report

DETROIT, MI – The number of undocumented immigrants detained and deported has more than doubled across Michigan and Ohio in the past year, according to data from federal government and cited in a report published Tuesday. The data illustrates a concern expressed by advocacy organizations working with immigrants and their families, reports The Detroit Free Press.

The uptick in deportations and arrests is a result of directives issued by the Trump administration. Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told The Free Press that the agency's efforts are "focused on removing public safety threats."

But the people being arrested and deported, however, include many people like Jorge Garcia, of Lincoln Park, Michigan, who have no criminal history. Garcia, who was sent back to Mexico in January. Garcia came to the United States as a 10-year-old boy, but was deported at age 39 to Mexico on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Images and video of his tearful separation from his family were broadcast nationwide.

Citing data obtained from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol, The Free Press reported that 1,570 undocumented immigrants with no criminal history were deported in fiscal 2017 (between Oct. 1, 2016, through Sept. 30, 2017) – an increase of 117 percent from the prior 12 months when there were 725 people detained and deported. Meanwhile, ICE agents arrested 1,101 undocumented immigrants with no criminal records in fiscal 2017, up 126 percent from 487 in the prior 12 months, The Free Press reported.

ICE also reported that the number of deportations of undocumented immigrants with criminal histories also increased, but at a lower of 23 percent from fiscal 2016 to fiscal 2017, according to The Free Press.

Not surprisingly, local immigrant advocates expressed concern about the federal agencies' methods and say they are targeting Latino communities in Michigan and Ohio. The Free Press article notes that immigrants are fearful of being targeted.

Many of those people being detained, such as Garcia, have been open about their status and have been working to get legal status. David Sanchez, an immigrant rights advocate told The Free Press:

"ICE is going after low-hanging fruit. People who have been checking in constantly and working on their citizenship status are the ones they are deporting. ... They're just deporting who they can get their hands on."

>>> Read the full article in The Detroit Free Press

File photo: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), agents detain an immigrant on October 14, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)