1181 Colombians Deported by US Government In FY 2014

Colombians made up far less than 1% of the removals by US Immigrations & Customs Enforcement

According to a report issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, there were 1,181 Colombians deported by the US during the 2014 fiscal year (FY), which starts the previous September and runs through August for the federal government. This number is far lower than for some other countries, with Mexico leading at 176,968 removals.

Graphic Courtesy U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

According to the report, Colombia comes in at number seven worldwide, surpassed by much smaller countries such as Guatemala (54,423), Honduras (40,695), El Salvador (27,180), Dominican Republic (2,130), Ecuador (1,565), and Nicaragua (1,266). The largest non-Latin country in terms of deportations was Jamaica (938). The largest non-Americas country was China (534), followed by US neighbor Canada (457).

Overall, the report says that 89% of deportees were caught while trying to enter the US, especially deportees from Mexico and Central America. 56% of deportees were convicted criminals. Colombians made up far less than 1% of the 315,943 removals by the US government in 2014 (FY).

One disturbing trend the report noted, was the significant rise in 2014 from the previous year, of deportees from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, due to the deteriorating social conditions in those countries. Deportations to México were down significantly, only 176,968 in 2014, compared to 241,493 in 2013.