53,000 plus undocumented immigrants deported from Central & South Texas

Record number deported in Central, South Texas

Immigration officials say figures reflect impact of heightened enforcement.

By Juan Castillo
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, November 07, 2008
jcastillo@statesman.com; 445-3635

Federal officials deported a record 53,370 illegal immigrants from Central and South Texas during the past 12 months, including nearly 11,000 with previous criminal convictions. In addition, officials started deportation proceedings against 11,700 illegal immigrants who were already jailed in local and state facilities, more than doubling 2007 figures.

Officials with the San Antonio office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the annual figures Thursday, touting them as the result of heightened enforcement, more collaborations with local and state agencies — including a controversial program in the Travis County Jail — and a continued focus on arresting and deporting criminals and immigrants who have not complied with final deportation orders. The San Antonio district includes a broad swath of Central and South Texas that encompasses 54 counties, including Travis....

The San Antonio office had the second highest number of deportations in the country during the 2008 budget year, behind Phoenix with 73,536. The figures are inflated because they include an unspecified number of immigrants who were apprehended on the East Coast and transferred to Texas detention facilities when bed space was unavailable...more