The Homeland Security Department is reporting that about a third of 130,000 criminal immigrants removed from the U.S. last year committed crimes involving dangerous drugs.
The department says the category includes manufacturing, distribution, sale and possession of illegal drugs. Traffic offenses are the second most common crime on the list and immigration violations are a close third.
A total of about 390,000 people were removed from the U.S. in 2009.
The Obama administration has made deporting immigrants who commit crimes an immigration enforcement priority and Congress has tried to steer funding toward such arrests and deportations.
DHS posted the statistics on its website Wednesday.
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