In a startling revelation, U.S. immigration judges issued a staggering 136,623 deportation orders during the initial six months of Fiscal Year 2024, according to an analysis by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a nonpartisan, nonprofit data research center affiliated with the Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.
This figure marks a significant surge compared to the peak removals observed in FY 2019 under the Donald Trump administration, with today’s pace of new removal orders soaring by 50 percent. This surge coincides with the expansion of immigration judges during the current administration.
The findings shed light on the geographic distribution of these removal orders, providing a detailed portrait of the areas most affected across the country. New York City emerged as the epicenter of deportation activity, with just under 11,000 removal orders issued to immigrants residing there. Following closely behind was Harris County, Te., which witnessed more than 8,000 removal orders, while Los Angeles County, Calif., faced nearly 6,000 removals.
Despite the prominence of those three top regions, Dallas County, Tex., and Miami-Dade County, Fla., also witnessed substantial deportation figures. The disparity is evident in Miami-Dade County, with only one-fourth of the removal orders compared to New York City and less than half compared to Los Angeles.
The trend persists with the next four counties having the highest deportation numbers being primarily located in Texas and California. Montgomery County, Tex., stood out as the residence for just under 2,000 immigrants ordered removed, with San Bernardino County, Calif., and Travis County, Tex., closely trailing behind.
Orange County, Calif., registered the ninth-highest deportation figures, showcasing the contiguous counties of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Orange as significant deportation hotspots, accounting collectively for more than 9,000 removal orders in the past six months.
In contrast, Cook County, Ill., represented by Chicago, ranked tenth in deportation numbers, reflecting relatively fewer completed court cases despite its status as a major metropolitan area and recipient of new asylum seekers.
These findings underscore the widespread impact of deportation orders in various regions, highlighting the complex dynamics in the U.S. immigration system and the need for comprehensive reform to address the challenges faced by immigrant communities nationwide.
Alarming lack of representation
Meanwhile, analysts also found that as immigration judges accelerate the issuance of removal orders, fewer immigrants ordered for removal manage to secure legal representation to advocate their cases. ATRAC examination of year-by-year trends over the past decade reveals a nuanced trajectory.
Between 2016 and 2019, the total number of removal decisions saw a modest increase, but there were notable improvements in representation rates. However, the onset of partial government COVID-19 shutdowns precipitated a sharp decline in decisions, coinciding with a surprising uptick in the likelihood of finding legal representation. This anomaly probably stemmed from the decreased demand for immigration attorneys due to the reduced number of court hearings, subsequently alleviating supply constraints, TRAC found.
Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, representation rates have plummeted as removal hearings surged. Last year, representation rates dwindled to a mere 20 percent. Data for FY 2024 illustrates a further decline, with only 15 percent of immigrants ordered for removal managing to secure legal representation. This decrease is in stark contrast with the current representation rate of 30 percent for all immigrants in the court’s backlog.
The implications are profound: Immigrants without legal representation face significantly higher odds of being ordered for removal. This disparity underscores the urgency of addressing the challenges encountered by immigrants navigating the legal intricacies of deportation proceedings in the Democratic Biden administration.
Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focusing on Black immigrant issues.