Cristina Jimenez

Flawed Immigration Enforcement Leads to Sharp Increase in Federal Prosecutions

A sharp increase in the number of people charged with immigration offenses is the leading factor for a major rise in federal criminal filings. According to a new report released by Syracuse University, federal prosecutions increased by 9 percent from the previous year to 169,612 in 2009.

The report found that immigration prosecutions increased by 16 percent and composed more than half of all federal criminal cases. The major rise in the number of immigration offenses started under the Bush administration, but seems to continue increasing under President Obama, which is of no surprise as the Obama administration is implementing the same flawed enforcement policies used under Bush.

As the end of the year approaches it is evident that this administration has focused on immigration enforcement as opposed to reforming our broken immigration laws. Although the administration's enforcement approach is primarily focused on punishing employers that hire undocumented workers, the enforcement practices in place are far from solving the problem.

Increased enforcement of current flawed immigration laws are costly to our nation's middle-class and fail to provide a practical and comprehensive solution to the issue of immigration. An overhaul of the immigration system that brings undocumented workers out of the shadows is needed for effective enforcement.

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Posted at 5:33 PM, Dec 22, 2009 in Immigration
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