Bloggings: "Dozens" of Immigrant Students Arrested by ICE in San Diego - Told to "Self-Deport" by Matthew Kolken

Mr. Kolken-
If they were "employed" as F-1 students, they were no longer in status. See 212(a)(6)(G)

@lamigra

I am fully aware of what the law is.

My point was that the individuals arrested were not EWI, and were not overstays.

There is no question that these individuals violated their student status if they worked without express authorization from USCIS.

There is also no question that the law permits the cancellation of these individuals' visas, and it is permissible to require them to depart the United States, either on their own volition, or alternatively through an express order of removal.

The point is that Obama claims he is not going after these types of "low-priority" immigrants... immigrants with minor violations of the US immigration law.... immigrants without convictions. Working without authorization while in otherwise lawful immigration status is about as low on the immigration law violation totem pole that you can get. About the only thing lower is a mere overstay.

The undeniable fact remains that ICE continues to detain and deport low-priority immigrants, despite the administration's fraudulent claims to the contrary.

So the question becomes, why does the Obama administration continue to use its limited resources to target what they themselves have characterized as "low-priority" immigrants for deportation, when they say that they are not. And most importantly, why is the Obama administration lying to us about what they are actually doing in practice.

As a retired immigration officer can you offer us any insight?

Thanks for your response.