THE math isn’t pretty. As of February, there were an estimated 636,000 “fugitive aliens” in the United States — foreigners who have ignored orders to leave the country. They may have entered illegally and been caught (about 60 percent of all fugitives), or they may have visited legally but then overstayed their visas or committed crimes.
Washington (the 27th-largest city) has deputized a force of about 318 officers in the Department of Homeland Security to track and apprehend the fugitives — a backlog of roughly 2,000 fugitives per officer.
Last year, officials ended their practice of “catch and release,” in which only about a third of alleged immigration violators caught were detained, for lack of housing. Most of those released did not show up for court dates and became fugitives. Now, Mr. Torres said, virtually all are detained.
Washington (the 27th-largest city) has deputized a force of about 318 officers in the Department of Homeland Security to track and apprehend the fugitives — a backlog of roughly 2,000 fugitives per officer.
Last year, officials ended their practice of “catch and release,” in which only about a third of alleged immigration violators caught were detained, for lack of housing. Most of those released did not show up for court dates and became fugitives. Now, Mr. Torres said, virtually all are detained.
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