Only a handful of deportations sought by US immigration authorities between 2004 and 2006 resulted from terrorism charges, according to a study released Sunday by a research institute at Syracuse University. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse examined the rulings of 200 immigration court judges employed by the Justice Department and examined DOJ records of criminal cases brought in US district courts. It found that notwithstanding Bush administration rhetoric on the "war on terror," deportation cases based on terrorism-related charges were brought against only 12 people, and that of the 14 terror charges laid, only four charges were upheld by immigration courts. Six other charges were withdrawn by Homeland Security and at least two are still pending.

Broader national security-related charges were brought against some 114 other people over the same period. The overwhelming majority of deportation actions followed from traditional immigration law violations, including unauthorized border crossings and visa breaches.