Deportations of illegal immigrants from the U.S. are on track to hit the lowest level in a decade under the Obama administration, according to internal figures obtained by the Associated Press.
The AP reports that as of April 20 the administration had deported just 127,378 illegal immigrants this fiscal year, which began in October.
The data, which the AP obtained from weekly internal reports, reveled that immigration enforcement averaged 19,730 deportations a month for the first six months of the fiscal year.
If that trend continues, the government will remove about 236,000 by September — the lowest figure since 2006, when 207,776 were sent home.
Removals have been declining for nearly three years after Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded a record 409,849 removals in 2012. That federal agency, known as ICE, is responsible for finding and removing immigrants living in the country illegally.
According to the AP, if the deportation pace continues, this year will see the fewest number of illegal immigrants deported since 2006 or the the middle of former President George W. Bush’s second term.
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