Obama Administration Suggests Closing of Deportation Procedures for 1,600 Immigrants

27 Jan 2012

In one of its first major public displays of changes in how immigration policies are enforced in the U.S., the Obama administration is recommending the closure of 1,600 deportation cases. In mid-January, the president’s administration recommended that deportation proceedings for 1,600 undocumented immigrants in Denver and Baltimore who are not considered a national security or public threat be closed. The administration made these recommendations after a “deep dive” review of nearly 12,000 pending deportation cases in the two cities.

While preliminary data from this review have not yet been published, a Homeland Security official has stated that the recommendation to close these cases is contingent on these immigrants being cleared through one more extensive background check.

The review of the cases in Denver and Baltimore are part of a major new initiative to review 300,000 pending deportation cases.