The U.S. Deportation System: Trends from a Decade of Data

This panel discussion marks the release of the new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report, Deportation and Discretion: Reviewing the Record and Options for Change. The report and discussion provide a detailed description of formal removals from the United States, including the previous immigration and criminal records of deportees, as well as their country of origin, gender, length of residence in the United States, and other demographic characteristics. Marc Rosenblum, Deputy Director of MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program and lead author of the report, answers key questions about immigration enforcement: who is being removed, where are noncitizens being apprehended, how are they being removed, and how are DHS’s current enforcement priorities reflected in enforcement outcomes. Other issues covered in the discussion include MPI’s insights more broadly from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removals dataset, obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request by The New York Times, as well as the work done by the Government Accountability Office in this area. This event offers a unique opportunity to review the past decade-plus of deportations and determine what lessons can be learned for future policy and possible administrative action.