According to Fox News, approximately 1.4 million illegal immigrants in the United States have been ordered deported by federal immigration judges.
According to a US official, approximately 13,000 of those ordered to be returned to their home countries are currently being held in custody by US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE).
With only a few thousand in custody, many more remain in the United States illegally despite orders to remove them. There were no figures available for how many people are being held in local or state custody.
The figure of 1.4 million indicates that those ordered removed have had their immigration cases heard and resolved. Some may still be able to file an appeal, according to the official.
The figure also spans many years and multiple presidential administrations, changing as some illegal immigrants are deported and others are removed from the country.
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to carry out mass deportations, beginning with criminal illegal immigrants, when he takes office on January 20.
Texas is offering the incoming administration a tract of more than 1,400 acres in the Rio Grande Valley sector near the border for its mass deportation operations.
In response to Trump’s promise, some cities have pledged to protect illegal immigrants from such raids and refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
In response to Trump, Los Angeles city council members voted on Tuesday to formally adopt a sanctuary city ordinance.
Minutes after the City Hall vote, the Los Angeles Unified School District approved a sanctuary district resolution, which means district employees are prohibited from voluntarily cooperating with immigration authorities, including sharing information about students’ immigration status.
For years, ICE has repeatedly chastised sanctuary cities for refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities, especially when illegal immigrant criminals reoffend or commit heinous crimes after being released from local custody.
