Who has received orders to be deported?

On March 22, 2002, the US conducted secret negotiations with Cambodia and obtained a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), allowing Cambodian refugees to be forcibly deported. As of January 2003, an estimated 1,541 Cambodians have been issued “final orders of removal” and could be deported at any time. Over half of these potential deportees are the main income providers for their families. One-third of these deportees have American born children. On average these deportees arrived in the U.S. at the age of nine and have lived here for 20 years. Most have little or no knowledge of the culture and language skills needed to survive in Cambodia. 46 Cambodians who have lived in the United States most of their lives have already been deported.

There have been reported “criminal removals” by the INS of immigrants from other countries such as the Philippines, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, El Salvador and other countries in Central America. And repatriation agreements with Vietnam, Laos and Cuba are apparently also in the works.

Why is this happening?

In 1996 the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act passed. Before this law the sentence for a deportable crime was 5 years, now it’s only 1 year. This law is also retroactive, which means if you committed an aggravated felony 20 years ago (before the law was passed), you are now eligible for deportation.

Who can get deported?

Anyone who is not a citizen and has been found guilty of a crime that is punishable with a prison sentence of 1 year or more. This includes immigrants who are legal permanent residents. If you are let out early and do not serve the full time, you could still be deported. So you can be deported even if you get probation and serve no time at all (as long as your crime is punishable by a 1-year sentence). Deportable crimes include non-violent crimes like: gambling, driving under the influence (DUI), shop lifting, petty theft, joy riding, and possession of marijuana and writing bad checks. (The list can vary from state to state depending on the sentencing guidelines of that state.)The majority of the crime listed falls under the term, witch can disqualify you from many reliefs’s of cancellation.

You can also get deported if you have:

  Any Criminal Conviction
Even if the conviction is old, you have a greencard, or you never went to jail. Consult a lawyer specializing in deportation before you go to the immigration office, leave the country, or applying for your greencard/citizenship.
  No Paper
You may be undocumented/ have no paper if you crossed the border, overstayed your visa, came on a false passport, or are adjusting you status ( even if you have a work permit).
  Old Order of Deportation
Sometimes immigration orders you deported but does not tell you. You may have an old order if your asylum case, skipped a immigration interview or skipped an immigration hearing. To find out if you have an old order of deportation follow these steps:

1. Find your Alien Registration Number (A#). It is on the I-94 card on your passport, greencard, work permit or any other document from immigration. It looks like: A99 999 999.
2. Call 1-800-898-7180. This is the hotline for immigration court (EOIR).
3. Press “1” for English or “2” for Spanish.
4. Enter you A-number and listen for instructions. If your number is in the system, then this means that you had a deportation case at some time.
5. Press “3” to find out if an immigration judge ordered deportation (removal) against you.
6. if the hotline says you have a deportation/removal order, consult a lawyer specializing I immigration deportation before you go to the immigration office, leave the country, or try to adjust you status.


Ways You Can Help