The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Thursday that it has arrested illegal immigrants who are in breach of their promise to voluntarily leave the country after opting against a normal deportation.
ICE Acting Director Tony Pham announced that “Operation Broken Promise,” a 21-day targeted enforcement operation, has since Nov. 2 resulted in the arrest of 154 people who were granted voluntary departure but still haven’t left the country after the agreed time. He said that 133, or 86 percent of those arrested, had criminal convictions or pending charges.
“Aliens who are in the country illegally receive due process of law once placed in immigration removal proceedings. Aliens in removal proceedings will have their case reviewed by an immigration judge. During that process, the alien has an opportunity to request an order allowing them to leave the country,” Pham explained.
The individual is then given about 60-120 days to leave the country instead of being formally deported and face barriers to reentering, such as a 5- or 10-year ban to return to the United States. Voluntary departures lowers the costs associated with deportations and thereby benefits U.S. taxpayers.
“Unfortunately, despite receiving the privilege of due process and giving their sworn promise to depart the United States, thousands of aliens are taking advantage of this pathway in our legal system by failing to honor their commitment to depart and continuing to exploit our judicial system and immigration processes,” he said.
read more:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/ice-arrests-154-illegal-immigrants-who-didnt-self-deport_3586647.html
Replies