America ‘Bursting at the Seams’ from Illegal Immigration

Press Releases

March 12, 2019

IRLI investigation reveals over 1.7 million illegal aliens from Central America and Mexico have been ordered removed or have pending final orders of removal

WASHINGTON—In pursuit of its mission to safeguard American citizens from the harmful effects of mass migration, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) has found that over 1.7 million illegal aliens from Central America and Mexico living in the United States have been ordered removed or have pending final orders of removal.

The data, generated from an IRLI Freedom of Information Act request to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), showed that as of June 2018, there were over 644,000 final orders of removal and over a million cases pending final removal orders for non-detained illegal aliens from Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) and Mexico. Central American aliens comprised the majority, totaling almost 1.2 million with either final removal or pending final removal orders.

The revelation comes at a time when illegal aliens are seeking entry into the United States at record levels. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the agency apprehended more than 66,000 aliens attempting border crossings in February. That is the highest February total in 11 years and the highest for any month in ten years. An overwhelming surge of illegal aliens from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are claiming asylum at the border. Since ICE does not have sufficient bed space to house them, they are being released into the United States pending a hearing before an immigration judge.

Once released, asylum seekers receive work permits while their often-meritless claims go through the backlogged immigration court system, which often delays hearings for years. Last year, nearly half of the completed asylum cases that involved aliens who claimed credible fear resulted in the alien failing to appear in court or file an application for asylum. Before 2013, around 1 in every 100 arriving aliens claimed credible fear and sought asylum, but today, that number has spiked to 1 in 10 as a result of encouragement and coaching by unscrupulous anti-borders groups.

“The illegal immigration problem in America is bursting at the seams,” said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. “Among the roughly 12 to 22 million illegal aliens living in the United States, we have a population greater than the City of Philadelphia’s that has been ordered removed or has pending final removal orders—from Central America and Mexico alone. Instead of taking on more aliens from caravans, our country should expedite the removal of those who have already received due process and been given removal orders.”

For additional information, contact: Brian Lonergan • 202-232-5590 • [email protected]

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