An article out of Florida-based Naplesnews.com sheds light on a new trend in immigration. Illegal immigration has gone down since 2007, but deportations have increased, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
But what explains the increase in deportations if illegal immigration has decreased? Thomas Boswell, professor of geography and regional studies at the University of Miami, said the lack of a proper system that keeps track of immigrants in the United States is to blame.
The current estimate of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is 10-11 million.
“There are a lot of [illegal immigrants] here, so as the ICE becomes better and more adept at catching [them], it could mean there are plenty of them to catch, and they are being more effective.”
Boswell said that although the ICE’s skills at “catching” immigrants have increased over time, the lack of a proper tracking system skews the actual numbers. He said they are not reliable.
Many contend that the increase in deportation signifies that more illegal immigrants are being turned out of the U.S. whether or not they have committed crimes or pose a threat.
Others feel that enforcing the law should be of higher importance than simply catching immigrants.
“Obviously our nation needs immigration enforcement,” said Brian Griffith of the Center for immigration Studies. “You’re not going to be able to let everybody in who wants to get in.”
While illegal immigration into the country is controversial, the deportation of those immigrants also stirs contention.
“The majority of the illegal immigrants are probably law abiding,” said Boswell. “We don’t know for sure because we don’t have reliable statistics.”
Boswell stressed the importance of the lack of statistics and data regarding immigrants and the impact they have once they enter the country. He said there are myriad implications, ranging from economic to agriculture, many of which fall under the umbrella of employment and job security.
