[JURIST] The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) [official websites] announced on Tuesday that 396,906 illegal immigrants were deported in 2011 [press release], the largest number in the agencies’ history. The report indicated that more than half of the deportees were convicted criminals. In August, the US drastically shifted immigration policy [JURIST report] by putting 300,000 illegal immigrants’ cases up for review and temporarily halting their deportation. A new DHS guideline revealed that illegal…