The mayor of a New Mexico city where federal immigration authorities are holding around 500 detainees says the center now is releasing more detainees rather than deporting them.
Artesia Mayor Phillip Burch told The Associated Press on Tuesday federal immigration authorities reported 61 releases and no deportations last week from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia. In addition, he said 69 were released and 18 people were deported between mid-September and the previous Tuesday.
The numbers show a dramatic change from the first two weeks of the center's opening when deportations outnumbered releases eleven to one and authorities promised to swift deportations.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement says 324 people have been deported since the center opened in late June. Burch says 227 detainees were released since then.
Federal officials have not released numbers of those released.
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