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The Immigration and Naturalization Service's Removal of Aliens Issued Final Orders

Report Number I-2003-004
February 2003

APPENDIX C

Fugitive Operations Teams

In March 2002, the INS established a National Fugitive Operations program with the goal of eliminating the backlog of fugitive cases over the next 10 years. All the INS Districts were expected to implement fugitive apprehension programs to support this effort.

As a result of the USA PATRIOT Act, the INS subsequently received funding and positions to establish Fugitive Operations Teams. The INS assigned teams consisting of one Supervisory Deportation Officer, three Deportation Officers, and one Deportation Assistant to several Districts across the United States.

According to the INS, fugitive operations teams will pursue fugitive aliens based on their criminal record, alien file location, and removability. Priority I fugitive aliens, for example, are criminal alien cases with alien files located in INS field offices, while Priority II fugitive aliens have their alien files in storage at the National Records Center. Finally, Priority III fugitive aliens are non-criminals.