Over 700,000 foreigners overstayed their visas in 2016, says new DHS report

ABC News ^ | 22 May 2017 8:26pm ET | GENEVA SANDS

[blueplum]

More than half a million foreigners stayed in the United States after their visas expired during the last fiscal year, according to a new report released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Monday.

Of the more than 50 million foreigners that entered the U.S., 1.47 percent -- or 739,478 people -- stayed in the country past the length of their visa. That includes those who stay one day over their allowable time, as well as people who have no intention of ever leaving the U.S. {snip}

Of the total number of overstays last year, 628,799 people or 1.25 percent had no record of departure, known as an “in-country” overstay at the end of the fiscal year, according to DHS. However, due to continued departures and changes to immigration status, that number decreased over time. By January 10, the official number of people who overstayed visas in the fiscal year of 2016 had dropped to 544,676.

This is the second year that DHS has formally released these numbers.

[blueplum]

That's over half a million people we don't know where they are or what they're up to, or even if they come and go, in addition to the million we let in legally.

This needs to change.

[vette6387]

The article says that they overstayed their visas, it does not say whether or not any or all of them are still here. That’s the question that needs answering. Beyond that, anyone overstaying should be banned for a number of years from returning unless there are extenuating circumstances. The other thing that needs to be addressed is the long-term overstays of Mexicans and people from Central and South America. Everyone seems to think they all “sneek into the country,” when there are stats around that indicate that as many as 40% of those here illegally are overstays. Seems to me that they should be rounded up and shipped out without a hearing or anything.

[Reno89519]

Round them up! And what about the other 30-60 million?

Even if only the ridiculous 12 million that politicians keep claiming unchanged for 15-20 years, that is on average over 8,000 people deported every day for the remainder of Trump's first term.

[Yaelle]

There is NO ACCOUNTABLILITY, NO FOLLOW UP. Mohamed Atta and his friends were on expired visas here. Do we give a damn, or don’t we?

[iowamark]

Interesting. We should return to the system where all aliens had to register annually.

[USNBandit]

If you overstay a visa you don’t have any right to a hearing, including false asylum claims.

[spintreebob]

I know where some of them are. I've worked beside them. I often get in a discussion of immigration with IT co-workers. I ask them what their immigration status is.

It's in progress is the reply. What does that mean? It means they used to have a tourist or student or other visa. But it expired. They currently have NADA. They are applying for H1b or for some other program but have not yet received it. They are hoping for a spouse or anchor baby that will give them reason to apply for a family unity visa.

In Progress means they are trying to become legal.