Extradition and deportation are frequently confused, with the terms incorrectly used interchangeably. This occurred earlier this year when convicted Nazi criminal John Demjanjuk died. The New York Times obituary, correctly noting his 2009 deportation to Germany, erroneously reported he was deported to Israel in 1986 when he was actually extradited there.1 Nor was this the first time such a mistake had been made.2 These terms are not synonymous; each involves a separate proceeding and has its own legal significance. There are substantial differences between the two.
As the Supreme Court has stated, “‘extradition’ and ‘deportation’…are different things, and have different purposes.”3
