The Department of Justice released new numbers Tuesday afternoon showing voluntary departures and deportations of illegal immigrants are up by 30 percent. Here are the numbers between February 1 and July 31, 2017:
Total Orders of Removal: 49,983
Up 27.8 percent over the same time period in 2016 (39,113)
Total Orders of Removal and Voluntary Departures: 57,069
Up 30.9 percent over the same time period in 2016 (43,595)
The court system has also streamlined a number of deportation cases to final decisions.
Total Final Decisions: 73,127
Up 14.5 percent over the same time period in 2016 (63,850)
DOJ officials are touting the numbers as a "return to the rule of law" under the Trump administration. For months the Department has been cracking down on sanctuary cities and Homeland Security has conducted a number of ICE raids to rid communities of violent criminal aliens.
"Pursuant to President Trump’s Jan. 25 Executive Order, 'Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements,' the Department of Justice mobilized over one hundred existing Immigration Judges to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detention facilities across the country. Over 90 percent of these cases have resulted in orders requiring aliens to depart or be removed from the United States. The Justice Department has also hired 54 additional Immigration Judges since President Trump took office, and continues to hire new Immigration Judges each month," a statement released by DOJ Tuesday states.
"In addition to carrying out the President’s Executive Order, the Justice Department is also reviewing internal practices, procedures, and technology in order to identify ways in which it can further enhance Immigration Judges’ productivity without compromising due process," the statement continues.
The increase can certainly be attributed to former Homeland Security Secretary General John Kelly, who is now serving as President Trump's chief-of-staff at the White House.
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