U.S. deportations of illegal immigrants up 2 percent

The Obama administration has deported 240,255 immigrants over the past 12 months, a 2 percent increase over 2015.

But while the number of deportations was greater than last year, it was a sharp decrease from 2014.

Commenting on the statistics released Friday, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said his department remains focused on finding and deporting immigrants who pose a national security or public safety threat, those who have serious criminal records, and those who recently crossed the Mexican border.

Of those deported, 58 percent had criminal convictions. This was little changed from the 59 percent recorded last year and 56 percent in 2014.

President-elect Donald Trump made illegal immigration a cornerstone of his campaign, promising to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.