ICE eliminates fugitive arrest quota

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=45743


"An increase in federal immigration raids that began in 2006 sowed fear in many Bay Area immigrant communities -- from Novato to Gilroy -- while drawing support from those who feel the government should be tougher in enforcing immigration laws.

Now U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief John Morton has said that his agency's "fugitive operations teams" were required to meet arrest quotas. And he announced that he has ended the practice.

Morton, who took over at ICE in May, told reporters in Los Angeles yesterday that he was not pulling back from enforcing the law against immigration fugitives who've had their day in court but have absconded from deportation orders. Instead, he emphasized that agents should be focused on tracking down immigration violators, particularly criminals, not meeting numerical quotas.

ICE dramatically increased its fugitive operations between 2006 and 2008 with a program known as Operation Return to Sender in which armed agents showed up at homes, usually before dawn, with warrants for individual absconders. In the process, ICE agents swept up tens of thousands of immigrants they suspected of being in the country illegally."


Sounds like the agency is heading back in the right direction.

OTOH, getting performance from a staff doing a very difficult job also sucks.