Operation Scheduled Departure

Operation Scheduled Departure was a 2008 project of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to organize the voluntary deportations of 457,000 eligible illegal immigrants^[1] from five U.S. cities. The goal was to benefit the government with a "quick, cheap" reduction in the fugitive count, and to save money by not having to keep immigrants in detention centers.^[2]

Operation

The operation was first announced on a Univision Sunday news program^[3] and formally began on August 5 and ended on August 22.^[4] The five targeted cities were Charlotte, North Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, Santa Ana, California (Los Angeles area),^[4] Phoenix, Arizona, and San Diego, California.^[2] Illegal immigrants who ignored a deportation order ("fugitives") and didn't have a criminal record could walk into an ICE office and agree to be deported.^[1] They would be given 90 days to make arrangements for their U.S. born children.^[5] Of the 457,000 fugitives eligible for the program, 8 volunteered to be deported.^[5]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Holstege, Sean (2008-08-25). "Feds give deportees option to go voluntarily". The Arizona Republic. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/08/05/20080805departure0805.html. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Rozemberg, Hernán (2008-06-30). "ICE offers details about self-deport program". San Antonio Express-News (Houston Chronicle). http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5916590.html. 
3. ^ Gamboa, Suzanne (2008-01-30). "Program lets illegal immigrants volunteer to leave". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gEfnRmHVHzKk8Wxjs-d1t-xgY9VAD928F3K80. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "ICE Scheduled Departure Program". U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 2008-08-05. http://www.ice.gov/scheduled-departure/index.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-25. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ ^{a b} "That’s 8 Out of 457,000". The New York Times. 2008-08-25. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/opinion/25mon2.html. Retrieved 2008-08-25.