The Washington Post has obtained a memo from an ICE official to field agents outlining plans to ratchet up the number of non-criminal deportations. It was written by James M. Chaparro, head of ICE detention and removal operations:

Beyond stating ICE enforcement goals in unusually explicit terms, Chaparro laid out how the agency would pump up the numbers: by increasing detention space to hold more illegal immigrants while they await deportation proceedings; by sweeping prisons and jails to find more candidates for deportation and offering early release to those willing to go quickly; and, most controversially, with a "surge" in efforts to catch illegal immigrants whose only violation was lying on immigration or visa applications or reentering the United States after being deported.

"These efforts must be sustained and will be closely monitored," Chaparro told field directors in the e-mail, which was obtained by the Center for Investigative Reporting and The Washington Post.

The memo is here (pdf). ICE responded to the Post with what seemed to be a backtrack. [More...]