Salisbury News

The Executive Office of Immigration Review today released data on orders of removal, voluntary departures, and final decisions for the first six months of the Trump Administration.

The data released for Feb. 1, 2017 – July 31, 2017 is as follows:

• Total Orders of Removal [1]: 49,983
  • Up 27.8 percent over the same time period in 2016 (39,113)

• Total Orders of Removal and Voluntary Departures [2]: 57,069
  • Up 30.9 percent over the same time period in 2016 (43,595)

• Total Final Decisions [3]: 73,127
  • Up 14.5 percent over the same time period in 2016 (63,850)

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.

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.

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^[1] An “order of removal” by an Immigration Judge results in the removal of an illegal alien from the United States by the Department of Homeland Security.

^[2] Under an order of “voluntary departure”, an illegal alien agrees to voluntarily depart the United States by a certain date. If the illegal alien does not depart, the order automatically converts to an order of removal.

^[3] A “final decision” is one that ends the proceeding at the Immigration Judge level such that the case is no longer pending.