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On Friday, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency ended its self-deportation pilot program. Not surprisingly, the results of the three-week trial period were evaluated and deemed a failure. Of the 457,000 people eligible, a grand total of eight people volunteered to participate in ICE’s “Scheduled Departure” program. Over the past three weeks, the policy was in effect in five major cities including Santa Ana, San Diego and Phoenix and was available to undocumented immigrants without criminal records who had ignored court orders to leave the United States. Though considered an utter failure, ICE is concluding that the results of the pilot program justify enforcement-only means. This has led some in the pro-immigrant movement to speculate whether failure was the agency’s intention all along to justify draconian methods. Regardless, the debate on comprehensive immigration reform has largely waned from the presidential race. Whoever does prevail in this November’s election will significantly affect the outcome of future attempts at reform.

GUEST: Isabel Garcia, Arizona-based lawyer with Derechos Humanos, Enrique Morones, founder of Border Angels in San Diego