US Plans to Deport Immigrants to Home States Instead of Border

The Obama administration has announced that they will no longer drop off deported immigrants at the border where they can be victimized by drug traffickers, and will instead repatriate them to their home states.

On Monday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters in Mexico City that the U.S. would pay to deport immigrants by airplane to Mexico. The Mexican government would then make arrangements to have the migrants returned to their native cities, according to Fox Latino News.

The program will begin in April.

The current administration has deported record numbers of undocumented immigrants who have not been able to establish a legal presence through the assistance of an immigration attorney. This new way of repatriation will relieve some of the burden placed on Border Patrol and other agencies working on the border.

This will be safer for the immigrants who are often intercepted and forcibly recruited by drug cartels on their journey north to the states or on their return trips, according to Fox News.

There are an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants from Mexico in the U.S. and they all face the prospect of deportation. Getting the necessary legal residency with the help of an immigration lawyer can help them avoid deportation, but the system is complicated and is in dire need of reform. Until there is comprehensive reform, immigration attorneys can offer migrants the chance of becoming legally recognized.