In the past decade we are observing the emergence of a more restrictive deportation system, visible not only in the United States but also across other liberal democracies.  Whereas before situated in a secondary place, deportation is becoming an increasingly important and powerful instrument of social control. Deportation is expanding institutionally and it is expanding the possible social pool that is under its control.  In the context of United States, several political changes became visible.  As the federal deportation apparatus became more complex and new programs were introduced (e.g. Secure Communities program), states developed their own preferences in terms of how to enforce the federal deportation policies. This study seeks to understand how and why states differ in terms of implementing the federal deportation policy. This project deconstructs deportation policy discourse across three states (California, Arizona and Illinois) and it examines the resulted narratives and social constructs in their respective political, economical and social contexts.