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What is Operation Streamline?
Operation Streamline, a policy begun in 2005, mandates that nearly all undocumented immigrants crossing the Southern border in certain areas be prosecuted through the federal criminal justice system, a departure from previous practices when most immigration cases were handled exclusively within the civil immigration system.
Operation Streamline has exposed undocumented border-crossers crossing to unprecedented rates of incarceration; overburdened the federal criminal justice system; and added enormous costs to the American taxpayer while providing a boon to the for-profit private prison industry.
Media on Operation Streamline
- "A 'maddening' system, from courtrooms to shelters" Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter, July 1, 2011
- "Border Convictions: High Stakes, Unknown Price" Ted Robbins, September 14, 2010
- "Border Patrol Program Raises Due Process Concerns" Ted Robbins, NPR, September 13, 2010
- "Claims Of Border Program Success Are Unproven" Ted Robbins, NPR, September 13, 2010
- "Grinding Justice: Operation Streamline costs millions, tramples the Constitution, treats migrants like cattle, and doesn’t work." Stephen Lemons, Village Voice, October 20, 2010
- "Operation Streamline: Border enforcement that doesn't work," Joanna Lydgate, LA Times, May 14, 2010
- "Program Prosecutes Illegal Immigrants Before Deporting Them" Lauren Gambino, Latino America, News21.com, August 2010
- "Report: Criminalizing Undocumented Boosts For-profit Prisons," Khalil Abdullah, New America Media, August 6, 2010
- "We're All Parasites.' This is Operation Streamline," Max Blumenthal, February 15, 2010
Reports on Operation Streamline
- "Arrested on Entry: Operation Streamline and the Prosecution of Immigration Crimes" Donald Kerwin and Kristen McCabe, Migration Policy Institute, April 2010
- "Assembly Line Justice: A Review of Operations Streamline" by the Warren Institute of the U.C. Berkeley School of Law, January, 2010
- "Operation Streamline and its Effects on the Courts and Law Enforcement on the Border" National Immigration Forum, May 11, 2010
- "Operation Streamline and its Effects on the Courts and Law Enforcement on the Border" National Immigration Forum, May 11, 2010
Author Archives: Bob Libal
First in NPR series on Op. Streamline documents due process concerns
NPR’s Ted Robbins is rolling out an excellent in-depth 3-part series documenting the impact of Operation Streamline on the federal criminal justice system along the Southern Border. The first in the series (“Border Patrol Program Raises Due Process Concerns” September … Continue reading
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Tagged Arizona, due process, NPR, Operation Streamline, Ted Robbins, Tuscon
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Napalitano: $600 million border security bill will fund Streamline expansion
While we’d speculated that additional funds allocated in the $600 million border security bill passed last month may fund an expansion to Operation Streamline, I hadn’t seen it explicitly laid out by the administration. But, buried in an article (“Arizona … Continue reading
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Op. Streamline overwhelms federal courts in El Paso, doesn’t deter migration
A new report by the El Paso-based youth development organization Community Scholars shows that federal judges in El Paso are overwhelmed by cases related to Operation Streamline and a glut of vacancies of the federal bench. According to the KFOX … Continue reading
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Tagged Community Scholars, El Paso, federal courts, Norbert Garney, Operation Stramline
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McCain and Kyle continue push for Streamline, ignore recent reports
Arizona Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl continued their push for full funding of Operation Streamline last week in what CQ Today (“Arizona Senators Slam Report on Anti-Illegal Immigration Program,” August 25), called: an angry letter to the departments of … Continue reading
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Tagged Arizona, CQ Today, John McCain, Jon Kyl, Operation Streamline, Texas
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Investigative piece takes on Operation Streamline; Expanding program could add 50,000 federal prison beds
Lauren Gambino at the investigative outfit News21.com has authored a terrific piece (“Program Prosecutes Illegal Immigrants Before Deporting Them,” August 2010) on the impact of Operation Streamline on the Arizona court and prison system. The piece is worth a read … Continue reading
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Tagged Arizona, Federal Bureau of Prisons, John McCain, Operation Streamline
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Arizona leads the way in federal prosecutions; Numbers driven by immigration prosecutions
Arizona doesn’t need SB 1070, its state-level controversial immigration enforcement measure, to lead the way in criminal prosecutions for immigration violations. TRAC has released a new report on the federal criminal prosecutions of immigrants in Arizona. The results mirror the … Continue reading
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Tagged Arizona, Criminal Prosecutions, Janet Napolitano, John McCain
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Republican Senators push Op. Streamline as Border Security bill appears to contain Streamline support funding
Despite last week’s $600 million border security bill which funds more border patrol agents and federal prisons, several Republican Senators have criticized the measure saying that it doesn’t go far enough to fund Operation Streamline, amongst other hawkish measures. While … Continue reading
Press release: Grassroots Leadership Issues “Green Paper” on Operation Streamline
Report Stresses Impact of Streamline on Immigrants, Detention System in Texas; Calls for Repeal of Controversial Program NEWS ADVISORY For Immediate Release: July 19, 2010 Contact: Bob Libal, Grassroots Leadership, (512) 971-0487, blibal@grassrootsleadership.org Austin, TX – Grassroots Leadership today issued … Continue reading
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Operation Streamline: Drowning Justice and Draining Dollars along the Rio Grande – Executive Summary
The following is the executive summary to Grassroots Leadership’s “green paper” Operation Streamline: Drowning Justice and Draining Dollars along the Rio Grande. The full report is available at www.grassrootsleadership.org. This is a green paper, meaning that we invite feedback, criticism, … Continue reading
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