The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), a three-judge panel within the Department of Justice (DOJ), issued an order that will make it easier for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deport illegal aliens enrolled in former President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The order, issued late last week, dealt with the case of Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago, a DACA illegal alien. Santiago had deportation proceedings against her terminated by federal immigration judge Michael Pleters, the husband of Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), citing her DACA status.
DHS attorneys appealed Pleters’ decision. The BIA’s three-judge panel sided with DHS and sent the case to a different immigration judge to make a decision.
The implication of the order seemingly ensures that DHS will have an easier time deporting DACA illegal aliens as the BIA suggests that such status alone is not reason to throw out deportation proceedings against an illegal alien.
Obama started the DACA program via executive order, bypassing federal immigration law and making sure hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens were shielded from deportation from the United States.
In February, DHS officials revealed that in 2025 alone more than 260 DACA illegal aliens had been arrested for crimes and 86 were deported. Almost all of those arrested last year had prior criminal records.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected].
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