15 St Kitts-Nevis nationals deported from US in 2018; 72 in the last five years

Some fifteen nationals of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis were deported from the United States in 2018, according to statistics obtained from the United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE statistics indicate sixteen Kittitians and Nevisians were deported from the US in 2017, nine in 2016, 15 in 2015 and seventeen in 2014. A total of 72 nationals deported in the last five years.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Ronald D. Vitiello announced Friday that in the past fiscal year, which ended in September, ICE has detained "a record number" of people in the country illegally and that the number of those deported has risen about 13 percent since 2017.

The data, which comes from a new agency report, shows that 145,262 of those deported were convicted criminals and that 22,796 had criminal charges pending against them.

In addition, 5,872 were reported as known or suspected gang members, and 42 were believed to be terrorists, according to the report.

The number of families and unaccompanied children who were deported also increased. ICE said that 2,711 who were travelling in families and 5,571 unaccompanied children were removed from U.S. soil.