Deportation is the removal of an immigrant from the United States. It is the culmination of a series of steps, overseen by an immigration judge that can – and often does – result in an order to leave the country. Deportation can have lasting consequences. It can make it difficult to reapply for the right to return to the U.S., even if you have family here. If you are facing deportation, it is important to work with a skilled and experienced immigration attorney to protect your rights.
The first step in the process of deporting someone involves the federal government identifying and locating the individual. This can happen when the person is stopped, searched, or arrested by a local, state, or non-immigration federal law enforcement agency. The second event is the issuance of an official Notice to Appear in Removal Proceedings. The third step is the actual removal proceedings. The fourth and final event is the execution of the issued deportation order and repatriating the individual to their home country or a third country.
ICE’s deportation actions occur primarily in the United States. However, it can also take place in countries where the government has an agreement with a foreign country to receive a large number of individuals. For example, the Colombian government has an agreement with the United States to receive a large number of deported individuals on airlift flights.
Deporting people in a mass scale is very challenging, requiring billions of dollars to expand the detention system and marshal hundreds of thousands of additional law enforcement officers and support staff to conduct enforcement activities nationwide. These actions would be highly visible and, if carried out in communities, would likely separate families, impact longstanding members of the community, and sow social discord.
Additionally, mass deportation would cost millions of Americans in the form of reduced tax revenues, reducing their spending power and impacting local economies. This is particularly true for the 8.5 million households in which unauthorized immigrants are living and have U.S. citizen children. Their median household income would decrease by 51.7 percent, and their spending power by a similar amount.
Finally, many “recalcitrant” countries do not allow the United States to carry out deportation flights or allow only a limited number of flights per year. The deportation of individuals from these countries is a diplomatically complex proposition that will almost certainly result in more raids and more local impacts, which could be more violent and lead to a rise in hate crimes against the targeted groups.