Fifty-seven Poles are currently awaiting deportation in the New York consular district alone, the great majority for breaking the immigration law. According to Wojciech Lukasiewicz, consul from the New York Consulate General of Poland who spoke to Nowy Dziennik, the number of deportations has increased over the past few years. He feels, however, that “deportations are not a problem exclusive to the Polish community. It’s also important to point out that US immigration authorities have improved in terms of reporting new arrests of Polish citizens,” he added.

Generally speaking the people awaiting deportation can be divided into two groups: immigrants who already have green cards, but have a criminal record; and those who have broken the immigration law by overstaying their U.S. visas. In the New York consular district, the second group is significantly larger. Only 12 out of 57 people have been detained due to their criminal records.

The social profiles of those waiting for deportation vary. There are some who are affluent and well educated, and there are those who haven’t yet made it in the United States. There are also students who overstayed the period of time they were allowed to be out of their home country.

In the Chicago consular district, there are presently 10 Poles awaiting deportation. These detainees are mainly from the Chicago area; however, there are also some from Wisconsin and Michigan. Those who have been incarcerated are subject to mandatory deportation as soon as their sentences are complete. In the Washington D.C. consular district, there are seven people in the process of being deported.

Diplomatic relations doesn’t amount to much when it comes to those who have been ordered to leave the country. Immigrants awaiting deportation are often put on planes straight from detention centers. Only the conditions the detainees are kept in, as well as the length of detention can, at times, be changed through diplomatic relations.

“The detention length was increased recently and can now last up to four months. It is one of the new changes we have observed,” says Consul Lukasiewicz. “The conditions in such detention centers are much better than in district or state jails.”

A few weeks ago, the U.S. press wrote about the story of Janina Wasilewska, a Polish woman from Chicago, who, after 18 years of living in the United States, was ordered to leave the country. Based on the information received from the Polish consulate in Chicago, it appears that the case of Ms. Wasilewska is not the most dramatic one among those in the Polish-American community. Those who came to the United States as children, but whose parents neglected to apply for their children’s citizenship, have also faced similar consequences.

Tomasz Kwiatkowski, an NYC lawyer specializing in immigration law, told Nowy Dziennik that depending on the seriousness of a case, deported individuals may be banned from re-entering the United States for five, 10 or 20 years. Those with serious criminal records or guilty of serious immigration law violations may be banned from the United States for the rest of their lives.

In the majority of cases, the deported individual may apply for a ban waiver. This rule applies only to those who have immediate family in the United States (i.e.: a child or a spouse). There is never a guarantee, however, that such an application would be approved.