Why Deporting Criminals Doesn’t Solve Anything

The idea that deporting criminals – especially hardened ones – rids us of the problems they present is put to rest by stories like this one from today’s LA Times. Sending criminals to other countries can be a little like sending big hitters to the minor leagues – they end up having a field day. And insofar as they destabilize other countries, especially transitional ones, they make for foreign policy problems, with much greater potential consequences than if we had let them stay in the US. So even leaving aside the human rights aspects of deportation, it doesn’t always make sense from a strictly national interests perspective.