18 billion reasons for immigration reform

Recently, the Migration Policy Institute issued a report, concluding that detaining and deporting illegal immigrants is the federal government’s highest criminal law enforcement priority, and that the US spends more on immigration enforcement than on any other federal law enforcement activity combined:

“The US government spends more on its immigration enforcement agencies than on all its other principal criminal federal law enforcement agencies combined. In FY 2012, spending for CBP, ICE, and US ‑ Visit reached nearly $18 billion. This amount exceeds by approximately 24% total spending for the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Secret Service, US Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), which stood at $14.4 billion in fiscal year 2012.”

The report further notes that more than half of all federal prosecutions involve immigration‑related crimes. In fact, the DHS “referred more cases to the courts for prosecution than all of the Justice Department’s law enforcement agencies combined, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.” Moreover, on a daily basis, approximately 430,000 people are in detention (jail) for immigration violations, which is more than the entire federal prison system. ICE has also reported that it deportedremoved 410,000 people in 2012 alone. 

First, I want to be clear that laws should be obeyed and respected, and that people who violate laws should be punished. However for our government to “prioritize” immigration enforcement over all other forms of law enforcement combined shows that our government has lost its direction, and has its priorities all wrong. How is our society “safer” when our government focuses on going after “overstays,” while violent criminals, rapists, and murderers are given less priority? Our courts and jails are filled with cases involving immigration violations. Think about all the costs of housing these people in jail and prosecuting them. The money would be much better spent prosecuting violent criminals and dangerous people rather than going after people whose only “crime” was to want a better life for themselves and their families in the “Land of Opportunity.” Simply put, I believe that a felon, murderer, or bank robber, is more of a threat to our country and safety than an overstaying visitor working as a caregiver. Yet our government spends more going after the caregiver, whose only “crime” was to violate our immigration laws by working without the proper visa.

This is like a situation where a policeman is standing on a corner and sees a jaywalker and a bank robber. Both are breaking the law, but the policeman goes after the jaywalker instead of the bank robber. It seems that our government is “prioritizing” the jaywalkers. That is wrong. We would be far safer if they protect us against the bank robbers versus the jaywalkers. We would also be safer if they spend resources, time, and energy focusing on felons, rather than overstays, or those who are out of status.

This mentality (of prioritizing immigration enforcement) came about because of the passage of laws, especially in 1996, which emphasized “enforcement” of immigration laws, rather than focusing on “benefits” or immigration reform. However, this report, showing an $18 billion price tag for immigration enforcement in 2012 (and $219 billion spent over the past 25 years) demonstrates that we will save money and be more safe and secure if we will have comprehensive immigration reform, rather than prioritizing immigration enforcement over all other law enforcement combined.         

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