Stop Holding Back The Enforcement Data, President Obama

The coverage today about the "high" number of deportations by the Obama administration comes back again to the issue of transparency in government, something the Obama administration refuses to abide when it comes to immigration enforcement. Buried in the Washington Post coverage today of the non-data release is this: "Morton said the 400,000 people expected to be deported this year -- either physically removed or allowed to leave on their own power -- represent the maximum the overburdened processing, detention and immigration court system can handle."

That 400,000 is an "expectation" or "projection" - it hasn't even happened, yet the media is reporting it as a done deal. If BP reported that it was "projecting" a complete oil-spill cleanup by the end of the year, would you believe them? This is part and parcel of the selective data releases about enforcement that the Obama administration is using to try and shape public understanding of what is and is not being done to control illegal immigration.

DHS is refusing to release the data that would clarify exactly how many illegal immigrants were 1)actually prosecuted in federal court (not had their case referred for prosecution) and 2)actually deported and 3)apprehended and then allowed to voluntarily depart the U.S. For example, the 2008 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics very clearly lists the amount of removals (i.e. deportations) and voluntary departures separately. In FY 2008, there were 351,000 removals and another 811,000 voluntary departures.

The conflation of some? all? voluntary departures with actual deportations by the Obama administration is nothing more than an attempt to create the impression that real enforcement is occurring. Mr. President, it is past time to release all the DHS enforcement numbers (not "projections") to the public so that they can make their own judgment about how well the DHS is doing its job.