These programs were marketed as focusing on and deporting the worst of the worst — gang-bangers and violent criminals. But only 30% of those deported from Houston were convicted of violent crimes, the reminder being convicted of a mix of non-violent crimes, traffic offenses, or the civil (not criminal) offense of being here without papers.
Many local governments and law enforcement agencies across the country stopped complying with the request to hold people for ICE to pick up and deport them. Adrian Garcia, on the other hand, has continued to support these programs, including an appearance on Democracy Now! in 2011 to defend the programs.
This fall President Obama announced that he was going to take executive action on immigration, which included an end the Secure Communities Program, which would be replaced by a “New Priority Enforcement Program” which works in a similar way, but should only target those convicted of violent and serious crimes. Adrian Garcia appeared on the NPR Radio program Hear and Now a week after President Obama’s announcement and said that this new program means less people will be deported and that that is a good thing.
Source: freepresshouston.com