Primary Data: Deportations of Parents of U.S. Citizen Kids

The full data set on parental deportations, obtained from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

By Seth Freed Wessler Dec 17, 2012

Colorlines.com obtained this data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement on December 12, 2012, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted in September. The figures represent people in deportation proceedings who reported they have U.S.-citizen children. For the full story, see Seth Freed Wessler’s report "Nearly 205K Deportations of Parents With U.S. Citizen Kids in Just Over Two Years."

"Final Order Sought" reflect cases in which federal officials asked a judge to order a deportation. "Final Orders Obtained" are cases in which a judge issued that order. "Number of Removals" include all deportations, including those ordered by a judge and people who were sent to their country of origin without a judge order.

"Area of Responsibility" is a somewhat confusing category because deportees are often moved from where they are apprehended to a detention center hundreds or thousands of miles away. Individuals can be logged near or very far from their home, so the Area of Responsibility does not reflect the geography of immigration enforcement itself, but rather that of immigration detention.

Deportations of Parents of U.S.-Born Citizens, July 1, 2010-Sept. 31, 2012