NEW YORK, NY – Immigration authorities have begun deportation proceedings against an estimated 13,000 inmates held at the Rikers Island penal complex in New York City since 2004.
A coalition of immigrant advocacy groups** says that they obtained the data through a Freedom of Information Act request. The data demonstrates how the city’s Department of Correction works with federal immigration authorities.
The group plans to release their findings on Tuesday at a news conference.
The Department of Correction says it gives information about newly-admitted foreign-born inmates to federal immigraiton officers, but does not provide information about immigration
status.
The Rikers predates a broader federal effort to identify and deport illegal immigrants in local jails.
** Including Make the Road New York