Policy Brief | Prejudicial And Unreliable: The Role Of Police Reports In U.S. Immigration Detention & Deportation Decisions

The U.S. immigration system routinely detains and deports immigrants on the basis of an arrest or criminal conviction — tearing them away from livelihood, family and community. The weighty decision of who to detain and deport often turns on the contents of a single document: a police report.

In this National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC)  Policy Brief, NIJC analyzed the use of police reports in immigration decision-making, surveying our own legal teams and other legal service providers throughout the country. This analysis confirmed that, despite the criminal legal system’s recognition that police reports are prejudicial and unreliable, immigration decision-makers routinely operate on the assumption that they are accurate — with life altering consequences.

KJ