Wednesday, July 30, 2008

OPERATION SCHEDULED DEPARTURE: New immigration strategy — Deport yourself Agency allows immigrants here illegally to avoid raids, prison by turning selves

Julie_myers_lg Bill Hing previously reported on the new ICE "self deportation" operation that soon will go into effect.  The San Antonio Express-News offers a bit more on the announcement Sunday by Julie Myers, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who is no stranger to controversy, in an interview with a Spanish-language television network, that "Operation Scheduled Departure" will allow undocumented immigrants without criminal records a chance to literally "self-deport" by turning themselves in to immigration agents. Under the new program, undocumented immigrants will have the chance to walk into ICE offices, be processed and get a few weeks to arrange their affairs, pack their belongings and ship out of the country without being detained.

How many takers do you think there will be?  Couldn't an undocumented immigrant do the same thing now?

Postscript;  "Shocking" headline from San Diego newspaper:  "No volunteers yet in San Diego for self-deportation." (August 5, 2008)

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2008/07/operation-sched.html

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Comments

I don't get it. I understand that being deported is better than being detained AND THEN deported, but not everyone in deportation proceedings gets detained...so where's the incentive to turning yourself in? If my options were (1) turn myself in and know I will be deported with no chance to talk to an attorney or see whether I qualify for some kind of relief or (2) not turn myself in, hope I don't get caught, and if I do get caught at least have the opportunity to fight my deportation, I think I'd pick option 2, especially since there's no guarantee I'd end up in detention (or removal proceeding at all for that matter!) anyway. Or am I missing something?

Posted by: Sarah | Jul 30, 2008 2:47:25 PM

Sarah,

Except for special humanitarian reasons, catch and release has been over for some time now. The incentive is not to be arrested and convicted for using fraudulent documents in gaining employment. After all the employed illegal alien is manifestly guilty of committing fraud. I'd have to say that avoiding a possible conviction for identity theft is also a motivator. The possibility of jail time and years of separation from families, self-deportation makes that action a logical option, be it thru ICE or on their own. The ICE propaganda strategy is good. Tell the illegal immigrant that we will eventually catch up with him, threaten them with jail time, make him feel like the unwelcome intruder he is and suggest that his only way out is to surrender to our authorities. Whether they surrender or not, they will get the idea about their future here. Clearly, in making light of ICE strategy, Sharry and you open borders types are in denial of the possibility that such tactics just might work.

"Couldn't an undocumented immigrant do the same thing now?" Clearly they are, according to annecdotal evidence in Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, illegal aliens are on the run. Eventually they will find no place to settle, as state after state, local community after local community actually cooperates with federal authorities to rid themselves of illegal aliens. We keep hearing the same old mantra from advocacy goups, that they won't go home, but that's simply defeatist garbage from open borders sympathizers meant to discourage us from taking action. Take away their jobs, arrest them for violating our laws, and they will eventually have no place to go but their beloved homelands.

Posted by: Horace | Jul 30, 2008 4:35:32 PM

'How many takers do you think there will be? Couldn't an undocumented immigrant do the same thing now?

KJ'


A. Not a lot but maybe whoever does will be interviewed as to why they did it. Or maybe someone will do it for protest/publicity a la Elvira. I wonder how much ICE will even do to get the word out about this option.

B. I guess, except with this you get the 'few weeks' and detention waiver.

Posted by: Jack | Jul 31, 2008 11:02:43 PM

There is no incentive.

As the URL I posted points out (although satirical) there is absolutely no reason why anyone would turn themselves in especially since not all illegal immigrants feel at risk for being deported.

Posted by: Ramon | Aug 5, 2008 7:18:05 PM

I've been talking to a good group of undocumented workers, bottom line;

1. Nobody will line up for a "legal immigration suicide".
2. What ICE is trying to do is pushing as best as they can because they don't have enough personel to do it themselves, It will take a complete generation to deport all undocumented people.
3. ICE knows that with the new administration next year, all these absurd procedures will change.
4. Looks like the message here from ICE is:
" we are not able to do it, you(illegal)help us; we'll be wating for you."
and of course, this is a wrong message.

Posted by: mateojca | Aug 6, 2008 11:37:19 AM

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