Despite claims that the Obama Regime Administrative Amnesty was necessary so as to free up U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to concentrate on criminal aliens and deport the worst of the worst, deportations of criminal aliens are collapsing; for the first quarter of 2012, only 5,450 criminal aliens were placed in removal proceedings, down from 10,732 from the first quarter of 2008.

Transactional Clearing House May 8, 2012

ICE Charges Criminal Activity in Fewer Deportation Proceedings

(08 May 2012) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to cite criminal activity as grounds for deportation less often than it used to, according to the latest Immigration Court data on new deportation proceedings. During the most recent quarter (January - March 2012), ICE sought to deport a total of 5,450 individuals on criminal grounds.

While this number is preliminary and is likely to increase once late reports are in, it represents a drastic decrease compared with 10,732 individuals against whom ICE sought deportation orders just two years ago. This suggests that the announced plan to increase the deportation of serious criminals through Immigration Court proceedings has not been successful.

Not only has the number of criminally charged individuals dropped, but the percentage of all deportation proceedings involving criminal charges has been falling as well. These trends also hold for each of the five nationalities (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and China) which together account for nearly four out of five individuals against whom deportation charges were filed.

It is clear, and was predicted, that the concentration on criminal aliens was not just a fig leaf for amnesty, but was from the beginning to include criminal aliens, as predicted by this blog.