Joseph Summerill. wrote an oped piecehe used to be with the Bureau of Prisons. so he knows this issue. As a lawyer. he was a counsel for the Bureau of Prisons. and he now practices with the firm of Greenberg Traurig. He says the following: * . . the demand for deportation and removal operation detention space has grown much faster than available bed space has... He goes on: Despite the fact that highrisk/highpriority immigrants include immigrants who are associated with criminal investigations. have committed fraud. or are likely to abscond. these immigrants are often released because of the lack of detention bed space... The lack of detention bed space has resuited in creating a de facto amnesty program for illegal immigrants who are subject to removal. particularly those immigrants from countries "other than Mexico." From 2002 to 2004. he explains: DROThat is the detention and removal operation DRO personnel levels grew by only 3 percent and the funding of bed space decreased by 6 percent. According to the inspector general. declining funds. the shortage of DRO personnel. and decreased bed space led to a 38 percent increase of illegal immigrants released by the DRO. We are supposed to be fixing this catchandrelease program. I thought we were. Here this former lawyer with the Bureau of Prisons said we had a 38percent increase in illegal immigrants being released. He concludes: DRO has faced annual mandates by Congress. the President. and the American people to increase the number of illegal immigrants who are detained. Unfortunately. Federal funding has not kept pace with these mandates...
Keywords matched
immigrants deportation illegal immigrants