US Immigration Releases Detainees Due to Budget Cuts
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released detainees from immigration detention facilities across the country on Monday, in an effort to better manage the population with looming federal budget cuts.
The agency released a statement citing the need to review the detainee population given its limited resources and potential lack of funding. Both ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have been reviewing their spending since across-the-board budget cuts will take place March 1 if Congress does not agree to a plan.
U.S. immigration lawyers in Thailand note that amnesty laws in Thailand apply to any nationality meeting the qualifications, including Thai illegal aliens in the States. However, the number of Thai persons qualifying is small compared to the number of Mexican nationals.
Since detaining undocumented immigrants is expensive, the low-priority detainees are being placed on an “appropriate, more cost-effective form of supervised release.” The immigrants may still face deportation if ordered by a judge.
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Flickr photo courtesy of travels of a monkey
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