"Fugitive apprehension teams usually target suspects with criminal records before they go after simple immigration violators".

The effort is focused only on the most hardened criminals; casting a wider net would only overwhelm the government's ability to detain and process immigration violators.

Homeland Security officials say the toughened security measures have allowed them to stop about 300 criminals and immigration violators from entering the country.

Mr. Helton said another list included the names of more than three million criminals, immigration violators, drug traffickers, prostitutes and those with certain health problems.

Back to Top (6) Illegal entrants and immigration violators.

"We are interested in him as an immigration violator, granted it was 11 years," Mr. Troy said.

The program has screened more than 64 million travelers and prevented more than 1,300 criminals and immigration violators from entering, officials said.

There are several circumstances under which illegal entrants and immigration violators may apply for a Waiver of Inadmissibility:

An ICE spokesperson has noted that the program "focused on immigration violators that may have imposed an enhanced public safety or national security threat."

The rest appear to be a collection of immigration violators, speeders and petty criminals.