Deportations Before Reform: Anatomy of an Immigration Bust

As lawmakers continued to debate immigration reform in 2010, the Obama administration pushed for a path to citizenship.

Best News Feature2011 Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition

2011 / Marianne McCune / WNYC Radio, USA

As lawmakers continued to debate immigration reform in 2010, the Obama administration pushed for a path to citizenship.

But the Administration also deported more immigrants than ever – around 400,000 a year. Authorities said they're targeting those who've committed serious crimes. But more than half of those arrested didn't have convictions. And among those who did, many of the crimes were minor.

For the couple in Marianne McCune's 2010 news story, immigration reform could change everything, but only if it comes very soon.

Deportations Before Reform: Anatomy of an Immigration Bust won the Best News Feature Award in the 2011 Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition. It was reported and produced by Marianne McCune and edited by Karen Frillmann in 2010, for WNYC Radio.


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