SINGAPORE: More than 100 Singaporeans have been marked for deportation by United States authorities since November 2024.
They are among more than 1.4 million foreign nationals who were issued deportation orders and are on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) non-detained docket.
That means they are not being held by ICE but may be detained by other agencies for running afoul of the law.
The ICE list, with about 7 million individuals, includes foreign nationals who came to the US seeking asylum and are waiting for immigration proceedings.
They could also be US permanent residents who have been convicted of a crime or under a programme called Alternatives to Detention, which means they may be free to move around, but will be required to report regularly to the authorities or wear an ankle monitor, among other things.
Out of the 7 million people, only about a fifth have got “final orders of removal”, which means they will be deported within 90 days upon receiving the order, according to latest figures from November 2024.
However, there are exceptions.
Even if a person has been issued a deportation order, they can still remain in the US if granted “relief from removal”, which prevents ICE from deporting them.
Such exceptions can be granted to asylum seekers or people who will face persecution in their home countries if they return, as well as those who will likely be tortured if they are sent back.
A lack of cooperation from foreign governments can also hinder the deportation process, with ICE classifying 14 countries, including Cuba, Russia, China and India, as uncooperative, and another 11 countries, including Jamaica, Iraq, Cambodia and Vietnam, as being at risk of not complying.
The Straits Times has contacted ICE for more information.
Meanwhile, three Singaporeans were deported from the US in the fiscal year 2024, which runs between Oct 1, 2023, and Sept 30, 2024, according to the agency’s annual report published on Dec 19.
This takes the tally of deported Singaporeans to 22 between fiscal years 2019 and 2024.
US President Donald Trump has taken sweeping actions in deporting immigrants, having promised to do so in his campaign for the presidency.
In recent days, the US has flown out migrants to countries in South America, as well as one to India - the farthest destination of the Trump administration’s military flights for migrants, so far. - The Straits Times/ANN
