The data, from Oct. 1, 2008, to Sept. 30, 2009, show that 10,793 people overall were deported from the Pacific Northwest, a drop of 117 compared with the previous year.
That marks the first time in the last five years that deportations from the Northwest have dropped. Deportations had increased from more than 4,000 in 2005 to nearly 11,000 in 2008.
But removals of people with criminal records went from more than 3,100 to nearly 4,500 between 2008 and 2009 -- a jump of 39.7 percent. Since 2005, criminal removals have more than doubled.
The data "illustrates pretty vividly the priority we're placing on the removal of criminal aliens," ICE spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said. "We believe it's the best way to enhance public safety."
Dankers said moving resources resulted in a slight decrease in deportations of immigrants with no criminal records, but she said that ICE cannot ignore that section of the illegal immigrant community.
She added that ICE has moved its resources to focus on immigrants with criminal records. Crimes under which a person may be deported can range be misdemeanors or felonies.
ICE has various programs that feed its criminal removals, including the Criminal Alien Program, in which agents comb jails for people who are not in the country legally. Another program, Secure Communities, uses computerized analysis to help local law enforcement determine a person's background.
Nationwide, deportations jumped to more than 387,000 in the same period -- an increase of 65 percent over the previous year.
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