On the Lam by the Thousands, Pursued by the Dozens

NY Times ^ | March 31, 2007 | BILL MARSH

[neverdem]

THE math isn’t pretty. As of February, there were an estimated 636,000 “fugitive aliens” in the United States — foreigners who have ignored orders to leave the country. They may have entered illegally and been caught (about 60 percent of all fugitives), or they may have visited legally but then overstayed their visas or committed crimes.

In any case, they are on the government’s list and the government wants them out. Taken together, they would rank as America’s 18th-largest city, ahead of Baltimore, Boston and Seattle.

Washington (the 27th-largest city) has deputized a force of about 318 officers in the Department of Homeland Security to track and apprehend the fugitives — a backlog of roughly 2,000 fugitives per officer.

Last week, Homeland Security’s inspector general said the department was not on course to overcome that backlog. The number of fugitives nearly doubled in five years after the September 2001 attacks.

John P. Torres, the director of detention and removal operations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said his workers were making progress. That effort began in 2003 with a few dozen officers, and with time and resources, he says, it can tackle the backlog.

Last year, officials ended their practice of “catch and release,” in which only about a third of alleged immigration violators caught were detained, for lack of housing. Most of those released did not show up for court dates and became fugitives. Now, Mr. Torres said, virtually all are detained.

[neverdem]

At large

[Southack]

"THE math isn’t pretty. As of February, there were an estimated 636,000 “fugitive aliens” in the United States... Washington (the 27th-largest city) has deputized a force of about 318 officers in the Department of Homeland Security to track and apprehend the fugitives — a backlog of roughly 2,000 fugitives per officer."

My how the mighty have fallen. The math isn't pretty because it's whacked. Washington is just one city, yet to arrive at "2,000 fugitives per officer" the crazed NY Times' reporter divided all 636,000 national "fugitive illegals" by the DHS force in a single city (the city of Washington has 318 DHS immigration officers).

[Zeppo]

Taken together, they would rank as America’s 18th-largest city, ahead of Baltimore, Boston and Seattle.

Taken together, the over 2 million subscribers to the Wall Street Journal would rank as America's 4th-largest city, ahead of Houston, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. Yet in Washington DC, America's 27th largest City, less than 318 Democrats in Congress have taken on the task of looting their wealth, depriving them of their Constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms, and destroying their national security by rotting it out from the inside. It's a ratio of about 6666 Wall Street Journal subscribers to each Democrat. Are the up to the task?

[cookcounty]

"My how the mighty have fallen. The math isn't pretty because it's whacked. Washington is just one city, yet to arrive at "2,000 fugitives per officer" the crazed NY Times' reporter divided all 636,000 national "fugitive illegals" by the DHS force in a single city (the city of Washington has 318 DHS immigration officers).

Uh, not quite. It definitely is poorly written, but it is "The Department of Homeland Security" that has hired 318 officers, which would indicate 318 for the nation. The parenthetical and irrelevant "(27th-largest city)" is what causes the canfusion.