Presumably, to have a criminal record, the authorities would have to apprehend the individual in question. Why wouldn’t the individual be deported then and there, if they immigrated illegally?
> Why wouldn’t the individual be deported then and there, if they immigrated illegally?
Because enforcing immigration policy isn’t the job of local and state police. It can be, if they choose it to be. But many haven’t for a variety of reasons ranging from moral opposition to not giving a fuck.
Because that is not how the US criminal system operates. Being apprehended for a crime does not automatically trigger deportation. It requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take an interest and additional action.
Furthermore, there are entire states (like Colorado) which refuse, by law, to cooperate with ICE and hold people for ICE to pick up, even when ICE has decided to step in and deport them.
