A pilot program, which allowed illegal immigrants to surrender to authorities to avoid jail and have more control over their deportation, has been dubbed an utter failure.

According to the Houston Chronicle, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say it is ending the ‘Scheduled Departure’ program when the three-week trial concludes Friday. Only eight people participated in the program, officials said.”

Jim Hayes, acting director of ICE’s detention and removal operations, believes that enforcement is the only method that works as he told the Associated Press on Thursday.

ICE intended for the plan to give illegal immigrants under court order to leave more control over their departure and to calm criticism by immigration advocates that its enforcement policies were disruptive to families.

Even though immigration rights activists ridiculed the program, they now fear its failure will embolden enforcement.

As reported by the Chronicle, “immigrant advocates said the program flopped because it offered few incentives for illegal immigrants to step forward since they would be barred from returning to the country for as long as a decade. They also said it failed to consider immigrants’ ties to family here.”

457,000 illegal immigrants nationwide, who have ignored judicial orders to leave the country but have no criminal record, were given the opportunity by ICE to self-deport. The illegal immigrants were promised up to 90 days to plan their exit and coordinate travel with relatives instead of facing the prospect of getting arrested, detained and deported.

To read the entire article from the Houston Chronicle, link here:

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