When you live in New Jersey or another part of the United States as a non-citizen, you need to take extra care when it comes to how you conduct yourself. Certain types of legal trouble, such as drug violations, have the potential to lead to detention or even deportation. If you undergo deportation as a result of a drug crime, you may not ever be able to reenter the United States.
Per the Drug Policy Alliance, any type of drug charge, regardless of its severity, may lead to detention or deportation. This includes violations involving drug sales and drug possession, among others.
Drug-related deportation statistics
Drug-related deportations are quite common across the United States. They are also becoming increasingly common, with deportations resulting from drug violations increasing by 43% between 2007 and 2012. Within that span, the United States deported more than 250,000 immigrants on account of drug charges. Many of those deportations followed relatively minor drug offenses.
Marijuana-related deportation statistics
Between 2012 and 2013, the United States deported more than 13,000 people for possessing a personal amount of marijuana. Marijuana was the most common cause of drug-related deportation in 2013. It was also the fourth most common cause of deportation, period, that same year.
If you undergo deportation because of a drug offense, you may find it difficult to get by in your country of origin. This may prove especially true if you have no family members, job prospects or other ties in that nation. Drug-related deportation may also mean that you must separate from your loved ones who may continue to live in the United States.