US Government Deports Fewest Immigrants in Nearly a Decade

US Government Deports Fewest Immigrants in Nearly a Decade
An Algerian immigrant becomes an American citizen during a naturalization ceremony at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, on on September 17, 2015. John Moore/Getty Images
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WASHINGTON—The Obama administration deported fewer immigrants over the past 12 months than at any time since 2006, according to internal figures obtained by The Associated Press as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton called Obama’s deportation policies too harsh.

Deportations of criminal immigrants have fallen to the lowest levels since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, despite his pledge to focus on finding and deporting criminals living in the country illegally. The share of criminal immigrants deported in relation to overall immigrants deported rose slightly, from 56 percent to 59 percent.

Total deportations dropped 42 percent since 2012.