Confidential Informants Who Help the U.S. Can Face Deportation
The Los Angeles Times reported today that dozens of foreign national confidential informants (CI) who have helped federal law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), have said that they have been led to believe that federal agencies would help them get permanent residence (green cards) in exchange for their cooperation in undercover investigations, only to be told that once their cooperation is no longer needed, are then placed in immigration custody to face deportation . Many of these CI’s are deported to countries that are ravaged by the same criminal organizations they helped to apprehend and prosecute in the U.S.
According to the article, the use of foreign national CI’s has grown in recent years. For example, the USICE spent about $9.5 million to employ about 2,800 informants last year. The DEA has thousands more of these CI’s. However, since September 11, 2001, concerns by high level government officials have been raised over granting them permanent residence in exchange for their cooperation.
Overall, these CI’s risk their lives, their families lives both in the U.S. and in their native countries.
After reading this article, my only question is, “How far out on a limb will the government go to protect these CI’s and give them and their families a sense of security in the U.S. while simultaneously helping law enforcement keep our streets safe?”
