You often hear people worry about deportation, either after they come to the United States or even before they’re granted entry. They have seen stories on the news about people being deported, and they’re worried about how fast it could happen and what it could mean for their future. Is this really something you should be concerned about or is it less common than the news makes it out to be?
It is certainly a concern, and many people get deported every year. This is largely handled by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). They reported their numbers for 2019, which were lower than the 2018 numbers but still meant that 143,000 people got arrested and a total of more than 267,000 were removed from the country.
Numbers like this are often a bit hard to comprehend. If you break it down to a daily average, what you’ll find is that more than 731 people get deported each day. Naturally, it doesn’t happen with anywhere near this type of regularity but that still helps to show you how real this issue is and why people are concerned about it. Thousands of people are being sent out of the country every week. You’ve worked very hard to get here, and you do not want to find yourself in that number.
Unfortunately, things may happen that are out of your control. You may feel that you have done everything right and still find yourself facing the threat of deportation. Like thousands of others, it is very important for you to understand all of your rights and legal options when this happens.