A Review of the Department of Homeland Security’s Policies and Procedures for the Apprehension, Detention, and Release of Non-Citizens Unlawfully Present in the United States

Letter submitted by Marc R. Rosenblum, Deputy Director, U.S. Immigration Program, at the request of the Minority Staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for the February 25, 2015 joint subcommittee hearing, “A Review of the Department of Homeland Security’s Policies and Procedures for the Apprehension, Detention, and Release of Non-Citizens Unlawfully Present in the United States.”

"Dear Chairmen DeSantis and Jordan, and Ranking Members Lynch and Cartwright:

I am submitting this letter at the request of the Minority Staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in connection with the February 25 joint subcommittee hearing, “A Review of the Department of Homeland Security’s Policies and Procedures for the Apprehension, Detention, and Release of Non-Citizens Unlawfully Present in the United States.” I am the Deputy Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), an independent, non-partisan think tank in Washington, DC that analyzes U.S. and international migration trends and policies.

Some observers of U.S. immigration policy have argued that U.S. immigration enforcement has been inadequate under the Obama administration, while others contend that it has been overly muscular and has harmed immigrant families and communities. This letter summarizes the findings from two recent MPI reports that review publicly available Department of Homeland Security (DHS­) data as well as administrative enforcement data obtained from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. [...]"