US Drug Deportations in the Weeds, Daily Brief, 15 August, 2024

Drugs pose a huge problem in the United States - in more ways than you might think.

While overdose deaths have risen in recent years, and drugs become more potent and available, the US federal government has combined its fight against drugs with its deportation machine.

Thousands of people in the United States are being deported every year for drug offenses that in many cases no longer exist under state laws.

A recent HRW report found that 500,000 people were deported on minor drug-related offenses between 2002 and 2020.

Undocumented people, as well as permanent residents who have been convicted of drug offences, are being deported regardless of strong family ties in the US, the many years some have lived in the country, or the relative minor nature of their crimes.

While ineffective in combatting drug abuse, these harsh federal immigration laws target and punish noncitizens for minor or in some states even legal activity, such as marijuana possession.

Institutional racism plays a part in these cases. The overwhelming majority of people deported from the US for criminal offenses are Black and Brown.

Even within the category of non-citizens, Black immigrants are disproportionately impacted, with one out of every five non-citizens deported on criminal grounds – like drug offenses – being Black. Black immigrants are also more likely to be held in immigration detention longer and are less likely to be granted release.

In short: Deporting 2,500 people per month for a drug offense that in some cases is not even a crime in the state the person is living is not solving anything. On the contrary, it tears families apart and perpetuates patterns of discrimination against vulnerable groups.

Congress should immediately reform immigration law and states should ensure drug reforms apply to non-citizens as well.

As my colleague Vicki Gaubeca puts it: “If drug conduct is not a crime under state law, it should not make someone deportable.”