Deportation is the removal of a non-citizen from the United States. The most common path to deportation starts with ICE placing the individual into what is called “removal proceedings.” The government initiates removal proceedings when it believes that the non-citizen has been in the country unlawfully, or violated the terms of their visa or other status. Once in removal proceedings the person must go through one or more hearings to determine whether the government will order them removed from the country.
The individual in removal proceedings may have a lawyer, and they will present their defenses before an immigration judge. During these hearings the judge will review all of the evidence, listen to testimony from both sides and make a decision as to whether to remove the individual from the country. If the judge decides to deport the individual they must be provided with transportation and ensure they leave the country.
A deportation from the country can have a major impact on the family, community and economy of everyone involved. In addition to the psychological trauma of being uprooted from their home, many people face severe economic consequences as a result of deportation. Among the most significant impacts is the loss of workers who provide vital services and products to businesses in communities across America. These jobs include construction laborers, cooks at local restaurants and more. Without these workers businesses cannot operate and U.S-born workers are impacted as well, since they must fill these roles if businesses want to continue to operate.
Research on the economic and social costs of deportations is scarce, but it’s clear that large-scale deportation operations are likely to produce unintended negative outcomes at both origin and destination countries. Deportation policies often fail to achieve their stated goals of reducing irregular migration or improving public safety and security.
In addition, studies indicate that removing individuals from the country alters the lives of their families and communities in profound ways. It is not uncommon for individuals to be deported despite having long-standing ties to the United States, including U.S. citizen children and spouses, or despite having built careers in the United States that contribute to its economy.
Carrying out mass deportations would require a dramatic expansion of federal enforcement efforts. It also would divert resources away from national disaster response, military readiness and other traditional responsibilities of federal agencies. Local law enforcement officials would be compelled to conduct dramatically ramped-up immigration enforcement, patrolling communities to identify and arrest unauthorized immigrants, most of whom pose no threat to community safety. The result would be widespread racial and ethnic profiling and disruptions to communities across the country. Moreover, the deportation of millions of unauthorized workers would disrupt families and uproot children from their parents. It would also have ripple effects in mixed-status households, potentially reducing median incomes and prompting drastic changes to family dynamics.