Deportation percentage continues to drop

The fight for a better path to obtaining residency has been piquing the interest of many lately, including residents of Riverside. The spotlight on a new path to citizenship is due in part to renewed focus centered on deportation and the families that deportation has torn apart. Many are currently fighting to speed up the immigration law changes to prevent this from continuing to happen.

Los Angeles is one city where immigrants may be able to get a break from the constant threat of deportation. 24% of the deportation cases in the city have been dismissed due to prosecutorial discretion. They take into consideration personal circumstances such as the immigrant’s family, how long they have been in the country, and whether or not they have children in order to determine whether they will see the case through or dismiss it.

This is a trend that the rest of the nation on a whole might be following soon. For example, the year 2012 saw a 10% drop in deportation, which is a large difference in comparison to the record high year that 2011 had been in terms of deportation. In addition to this, there is currently talk of an immigration deportation freeze being made while Congress finishes working out new citizenship laws. This could help many.

This is great news for many immigrants, but a large number are still left in the lurch while Congress works things out. To those who are struggling with immigration related issues in the here and now, you may wish to contact an immigration attorney.

Source: Los Angeles Times, “Prosecutorial discretion on the rise in immigration courts,” Cindy Chang, Jan. 15, 2014