The Obama administration might be touting the nearly 400,000 deportations of illegal immigrants last year as evidence that the White House is tough on enforcement and dedicated to reform, but don’t try to convince Rep. Luis Gutierrez.

The Illinois Democrat – perhaps the most vocal immigrant-rights advocate on Capitol Hill – said Tuesday that the record-breaking figure is “nothing to be proud of,” but instead represents “a symptom of our decades-long neglect in fixing the immigration system.”

“We are deporting hundreds of thousands of people who came to the country to work, raise families, contribute to the economy, and want nothing more than to be allowed to live and work here legally,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “Setting a record for deportations and incurring the huge expense of sending so many people away is nothing to be proud of as a country.”