Record high: 400,000 undocumented immigrants deported

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement deported nearly 400,000 undocumented immigrants during the fiscal year that ended in September, breaking records for the third year in a row.

A little more than half of the 396,906 people deported had felony or misdemeanor convictions, said ICE Director John Morton. The number of deported criminals was up 89 percent from 2008. Among them were more than 1,000 convicted murderers, 5,800 sexual offenders and about 80,000 people convicted of drug related crimes. Two-thirds of those deported either recently crossed the border or had done so repeatedly.

Officials attributed the increase to enforcement measures that ferret out criminals like the Secure Communities Program, the Los Angeles Times reported. Secure Communities, which sends the fingerprints of everyone booked into a local or county jail to the Department of Homeland Security, operates in 1,600 law enforcement jurisdictions across the country. Officials expect the program to be up and running everywhere by 2013.

Immigrant activists have pleaded with authorities to do away with the Secure Communities program, the Huffington Post reported. Under the program, advocates say immigrants are hauled to jail for small infractions like setting up a roadside cart without a permit or simply reporting being the victim of domestic violence. Immigrants, who are losing trust with the police, have become more reluctant to report crime.

"Every day I live the nightmare of this program," said Blanca Perez, 38, who was arrested in February for street vending without a permit. "Now I am facing deportation for the simple act of selling ice cream in the street."

Looking at ICE's most recent deportation numbers, Susana Barciela, policy director for Americans for Immigrations Justice, said she was "worried because many of the people who are being deported have committed minor crimes."

Joanne Lin, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, further argued the heavy-handed enforcement is unnecessary because, deterred by the sluggish economy, fewer immigrants are coming to the United State illegally.

"These record-breaking deportation numbers come at a time when illegal immigration rates have plummeted, the undocumented population has decreased substantially and violent crime rates are at their lowest levels in 40 years," she said in a statement. "Our country can no longer afford to pay for uncontrolled, unwarranted DHS spending, at the cost to U.S. taxpayers."

Many argue, though, the Obama administration is still not being aggressive enough.