Wednesday in Minnesota, ICE agents arrested 37 criminal aliens as part of a nationwide sweep in which nearly 3,000 criminals were slated for deportation in an operation called “Cross-Check II.” More than 1600 had felony convictions ranging from attempted murder, manslaughter and kidnapping, to child abuse and sex crimes against minors. Of the 5,300 removed from this region this year, nearly 3,000––or 56%––had criminal records according to ICE data.

While illegal immigration continues to be a “hot-button” issue, especially among Republican presidential candidates, the Obama administration’s new emphasis on deporting aliens with serious felonies rather than those without proper documentation, who pose no threat to public safety or national security, is a welcome and much needed shift in focus.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice can now review and clear out low-priority cases from 300,000 backlogged deportation proceedings. Those with no criminal records will be allowed to remain in the country and apply for a work permit. This shift in focus should also help the estimated two million young people who–– under the DREAM ACT––could have achieved citizenship by pursuing higher education or military service.

Those who continue to criticize the Obama administration often fail to report that as of September 2011, 1.06 million illegal immigrants have been sent home in 2 1/2 years — nearly equaling the 1.57 million that George W. Bush deported in two full presidential terms.