The number of undocumented immigrants deported during the first half of 2017 fell 14 percent from a year earlier as fewer people tried to illegally enter the U.S. on the southern border, according to the Trump administration.
There were 104,618 people deported through June, down from 121,170 during the same months in 2016, according to data provided Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in response to a query.
In previous years, the number of deportations was boosted by law enforcement officials apprehending more people just after they illegally crossed the U.S. border, said Matthew Bourke, an ICE spokesman. As fewer people enter the U.S. illegally on the border, “removals are going to be impacted,” he said. full story