Justice Department Gloats About Skyrocketing Deportation Figures Under Trump

On Tuesday, the Department of Justice released a congratulatory statement trumpeting its accomplishments when it comes to enforcing President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant policies.

Ominously titled “Return to Rule of Law in Trump Administration Marked by Increase in Key Immigration Statistics,” the DOJ’s release cited three sets of data. Taken together, the statistics paint a grim picture for immigrant communities across the United States.

Explaining that “final decisions” are ones “that [end] the proceeding at the Immigration Judge level such that the case is no longer pending,” the message of the DOJ’s triumphant statement is clear: More people—tens upon tens of thousands—are being arrested, tried, and deported than ever before.

Perhaps ironically, the presumptively “lawless” era preceding the timeframe encompassed by this latest report was, in fact, being overseen by President Obama—whose administration is, to date, responsible for more deportations than any other in U.S. history.

However, if the Trump administration’s DOJ continues pursuing his ultra-nationalist agenda of massive immigration sweeps and no-mercy deportation orders, President Obama’s ignominious legacy as deporter-in-chief will be a thing of the past.

That, of course, appears to be exactly what the Justice Department intends to do.