A mostly administrative agency within the Homeland Security Department says it has sent nearly 27,000 people to face deportation in about 100 days.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reviews applications for work permits and other legal statuses. Denials can send applicants to immigration court to face deportation.
Phoenix attorney Ray Ybarra Maldonado said the practice is much more common than in the past, but it doesn’t mean they’ll all be forced to leave the country.
“I’m interested to see, when it’s all said and done, how many of those folks referred to the immigration court ended up winning their case,” he said
Most citizenship applications reviewed at the agency’s Phoenix field office are done within seven months. The Tucson field office processes the same request mostly within four months.
In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to protect against what he called an “invasion” related to immigration,
In the past, some people confident of winning their case have applied to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hoping to end up in court. But the agency wouldn’t move.
“In some of these cases, the folks probably wanted to be sent to the immigration judge. And now they are increasing their chances of becoming a legal permanent resident,” Ybarra Maldonado said.
The government term for green card is “legal permanent resident” — one status below U.S. citizenship.
