At least 182 undocumented Kenyans living in the US were among thousands of immigrants arrested while applying for legal status to avoid deportation and become eligible for work permits.

According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) report, those arrested had applied to be included in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme.

USCIS Report: DACA Requestors with an IDENT Response (2019 Update)

DACA is a programme that allows immigrants brought in as children in the US, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred deportation.

DEPORTATION

The USCIS report covered 78 countries globally, with Mexico recording the highest number of illegal immigrants arrested at 91,272, while Mali, New Zealand, and Taiwan had the least number at 21.

A total of 118,371 foreigners were arrested, out of which 464 are of unknown descent.

Africa had 1,100 DACA applicants arrested with North America recording the highest number at 107,669, while Oceania had the least number at 88.

Kenya has the second-highest number among African countries behind Nigeria with 209 incarcerated persons.

 “The release of this report reflects the agency’s ongoing focus on transparency. The report provides updated information on known arrests and apprehensions of DACA requestors. The data may include arrests that did not result in convictions or where the charges were dropped or otherwise dismissed,” said USCIS.

The DACA program was enacted under President Barack Obama administration in 2012 but his successor Donald Trump has threatened to end it.

DACA applicants must not have been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanour, or three or more ‘non-significant’ misdemeanours not arising from the same act. They are also expected to not pose a threat to national security or public safety.

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USCIS Releases Report on Arrest Histories of Illegal Aliens who Request DACA  

Offenses include Murder, Rape, Weapon and Assault Charges  

Release Date:  Nov. 16, 2019

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated data  (PDF, 745 KB) on arrests and apprehensions of illegal aliens who requested Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The release of this report reflects the agency’s ongoing focus on transparency. The report provides updated information on known arrests and apprehensions of DACA requestors. The data may include arrests that did not result in convictions or where the charges were dropped or otherwise dismissed.

Among the findings of the release are the following:

• Nearly 110,000 DACA requestors out of nearly 889,000 (12%) had arrest records. Offenses in these arrest records include assault, battery, rape, murder and driving under the influence.
• Of approved DACA requestors with an arrest, 85% (67,861) of them were arrested or apprehended before their most recent DACA approval.
• Of approved DACA requestors with an arrest, more than 31% (24,898) of them had more than one arrest.
• Of all DACA requestors, 218 had more than 10 arrests. Of those, 54 had a DACA case status of “approved” as of October 2019.

“As DACA continues to be the subject of both public discourse and ongoing litigation, USCIS remains committed to ensuring transparency and that the American people are informed about those receiving DACA,” said USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. “This agency is obligated to continue accepting DACA requests from illegal aliens as a direct result of the previous administration’s decision to circumvent the laws as passed by Congress. We hope this data provides a better sense of the reality of those granted the privilege of a temporary deferral of removal action and work authorization under DACA.”

Under current DACA guidelines, illegal aliens may be considered for DACA if they have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more “non-significant” misdemeanors not arising out of the same act, omission or scheme of misconduct, and they do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety. The number of arrests illegal aliens have do not necessarily disqualify them from receiving DACA as a matter of discretion.