The administration is "playing a double game," argued Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors tighter immigration restrictions. "They're telling (pro-immigration) advocacy groups that they're focusing on the worst of the worst" by committing more resources to the most dangerous undocumented immigrants.
"But they're telling the broader public they've achieved record levels of deportations. It's a clever spin."
So what are the facts? Nearly 400,000 individuals were removed from the country in fiscal year 2011, which ended September 30, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. ICE Director John Morton trumpeted the news, calling it the result of "smart and effective immigration enforcement" that depends on "setting clear priorities for removal and executing on those priorities."
The 396,906 figure is indeed a record -- but not by much. A total of 392,862 people were deported in 2010 -- a difference of little more than 1%, according to ICE. Almost 390,000 people were deported the year before that.
