USA: Number of Deportees on the Rise 

More than 387,790 immigrants were deported during 2009 from the USS, a figure which is higher than the numbers reported during George W Bush administration, La Opinion newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The Movement for a Fair Immigration Reform (FIRM) denounced on Monday the "excessive growth" of this indicator that exceeds in 123.287 the overall deportations during the fiscal periods 2008 and 2009.

The figure represents a 46.6 percent increase, affirmed a document presented by the organization, quoted by La Opinion.

If this number is compared with the average figure of deportations during the Bushâ?Ös second term "where there were 240.000 per year", with Barack Obama the amount has increase "by more than 60 percent to almost 1,000 deportees per day", adds the FIRM report.

Emma Lozano, executive director of Centro Sin Fronteras (Center Without Borders) considers the situation can not continue like this, "We need an immigration reform now" because "without legalization there is no re-election"

However, sources close to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disagree with the statistics, the paper said.

"For a long time the immigration challenges in the country have not had serious solutions", said the spokesman for DHS Matthew Chandler.

We know the system is broken and to improve our national security we need to fix it but also the administration is focused on a sensible, effective and safe immigration control, he said.

On Tuesday a meeting with President Barack Obama, the Chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee Charles Schumer and the main Republican with whom the president negotiates a bill on immigration reform Lindsey Graham was cancelled; announced the digital site Politico.

It is expected that White House officials hold a meeting next Thursday with community leaders of the movement for immigration reform, La Opinion pointed out.

This reform was one of the most important campaign promises of the current US president. It is estimated that there are more than 12 million undocumented immigrants in the USA.

PL Translation Staff