January 1, 2012 -
SEATTLE, Wash. - US Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the number of illegal immigrant deportations in the Pacific Northwest is dropping.
A new report from ICE says just over 6,700 immigrants were deported from Washington, Oregon and Alaska during the 2012 fiscal year. 2008 had a five-year high of nearly 11,000 deportations.
The 2012 report also shows the number of illegal immigrants with criminal records has gone down. The data shows more than 4,500 illegal immigrants were deported in 2012, compared with almost 5,300 the year before.
ICE says removing illegal immigrants with criminal records has become one of its top priorities in the last few years. Nationwide, the total number of illegal immigrant deportations for 2012 is nearly 410,000. The records show nearly 70% had criminal records.
