WASHINGTON, April 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is boosting the scale of its operations to locate and expel illegal immigrants.
The ICE last week announced a series of changes aimed at enhancing its capabilities to find and oust illegal immigrants from the United States. However, the announcement was sparse on details about how many staff members and how much funding would be necessary, GovExec.com reported Monday.
ICE's announcement came on the heels of nearly 1,500 arrests nationwide of illegal immigrants and employers who allegedly tried to deceive government officials.
Citing expanding investigations, growing numbers of illegal aliens and a perceived lack of legislative support for some initiatives, ICE said Monday it would need a budget increase of $176.7 million in fiscal 2007, in part to add more than 200 full-time staffers.
However, the agency's announcement did not specify the staffing levels and funding requirements necessary for the specific enforcement initiatives, and the agency was unable to provide further details Monday, GovExec.com said.
"Given that employers have no legal obligation to thoroughly investigate whether documents presented to them by new employees are valid or not, they often have a de facto defense," ICE spokeswoman Ernestine Fobbs told GovExec.com. The agency had been forced to take up the slack in immigration investigations, she said.
ICE will broaden the scope of its use of state and local correctional facilities to identify and deport illegal aliens, last week's announcement said.
The agency also announced plans to expand its National Fugitive Operations Program teams by more than 50 percent. ICE credited its existing teams for arresting more than 40,000 illegal immigrants in just over three years. However, it noted, the number of "at large" aliens grows by more than 40,000 each year.
