Department of Homeland Security Introduces New Procedure to Expedite
Honduran Removals
Honduras
is the first to use video teleconferencing to quicken deportation
process
Washington
(DHS) — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans
with the Government of Honduras to facilitate the deportation
process to that country. Acting Under Secretary for Border and
Transportation Security (BTS) Randy Beardsworth at the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) joined Minister Rene Becerra, High
Commissioner for Immigrant Affairs for the Presidency of Honduras,
in announcing the use of video teleconferencing (VTC) by Honduran
consular officers for travel document interviews with Honduran
nationals detained in the U.S.
Honduras becomes
the first foreign government to agree to implement the VTC process,
which has a goal of decreasing detention time for Honduran nationals
who qualify for Expedited Removal (ER) from the current average
of 27 days to an average of 15 days. The use of VTC will quicken
the ER process by reducing the need for consular officers to travel
to remote facilities as well as allow Honduran consular officers
more time to devote to the travel document adjudication process.
The ER process
allows DHS the ability to speed the removal of illegal aliens
attempting to enter the U.S. by using fraudulent documents or
by attempting to elude U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
agents. When an alien is placed into expedited removal proceedings
by a CBP agent, the alien is transferred into U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and then removed to his
or her country of origin as soon as circumstances will allow.
“We
are deeply committed to restoring integrity to America’s
immigration system, and steps to expedite the deportation process
are essential to that effort,” said Acting BTS Under Secretary
Randy Beardsworth. “I commend the Honduran government for
their leadership and commitment to working with the Department
of Homeland Security on the removal process.”
Interviews
by Honduran consular officers are a required part of the removal
process, and are typically a pre-requisite for the adjudication
of travel documents. Without official government issued travel
documents, removals often cannot occur.
It is not
uncommon for aliens to be detained in the vicinity of where they
were taken into DHS custody, which can be a great distance from
the nearest Honduran consulate. As a result, representatives from
the Honduran consulates travel to the various facilities where
aliens who qualify for ER are detained in order to conduct travel
document interviews. This process is extremely time consuming
and costly for both the U.S. and Honduran governments.
Adoption of
VTC for this purpose has been a topic of recent CAMEXPAN meetings.
The CAMEXPAN group is comprised of consular representatives from
Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
and Nicaragua), Mexico and Panama. CAMEXPAN is a forum for the
exchange of information and discussion of a broad range of migration
issues and matters of concern to embassy representatives and DHS.
In December
2004, the CAMEXPAN group observed the use of VTC at a proceeding
with an immigration judge at the Executive Office for Immigration
Review in Arlington, Virginia. The CAMEXPAN representatives gave
positive reviews to the process following the demonstration and
expressed the need to examine country laws regarding face-to-face
interviews by the consular officers to determine if VTC is allowed
under their respective current laws. Honduras becomes the first
of the group to accept the DHS proposal and once implemented will
be the first country to have the VTC equipment installed in consulates
for this purpose. The VTC equipment for the pilot will be provided
by DHS.
Based on discussions
with Embassy of Honduras officials, it is anticipated that the
VTC equipment and process would be initially set up in two Honduran
consulates, Los Angeles and Houston, as a pilot program before
expansion. The VTC equipment is already in place at U.S. detention
centers.
As of March
31, 2005, there were more than 1,750 Honduran nationals in ICE
custody. Honduran nationals are the second largest group by nationality
in ICE custody, and represent nine percent of the total ICE detainee
population. During the 2004 Fiscal Year, ICE removed 7,911 Honduran
nationals; 30 percent were criminal aliens.