When Facing Deportation, What Determines Whether You Are Detained or Released?
Author: Deportation lawyer Alena Shautsova
The Department of Homeland Security (DOHS) weighs two main factors when deciding whether to detain or release an immigrant who faces deportation: flight risk and risk to the community. The most heavily weighed factor is risk to the community, which aligns with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memorandum that addresses prosecutorial discretion and the focus on deporting immigrant criminals over immigrants with other violations. Those immigrants with aggravated felonies are top priority for detainment. ICE has limitations on how many immigrants it can detain, because it has 34,000 detention beds nationwide. Recent sequestration budget cuts resulted in ICE releasing detainees.
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