The Trump administration on Tuesday moved one step closer to implementing the president’s plans to aggressively rid the country of undocumented immigrants and expand local police-based enforcement of border security operations.
In a fact sheet outlining the efforts, the Department of Homeland Security said that though their top priority is finding and removing undocumented immigrants with criminal histories, millions more may also be subject to immediate removal.
“With extremely limited exceptions, DHS will not exempt classes or categories of removal aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to enforcement proceedings, up to and including removal from the United States,” the fact sheet explains. “The guidance makes clear, however, that ICE should prioritize several categories of removable aliens who have committed crimes, beginning with those convicted of a criminal offense.”
The memo did not include instructions to halt the 2012 executive action called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which has allowed about 750,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children to live and work in the country legally.
The guidelines also state that the Department of Homeland Security has authority to expedite the removal of undocumented immigrants who have been in the country illegally for at least two years, a departure from the Obama administration’s approach of concentrating mainly on newly arriving immigrants.
“To date, expedited removal has been exercised only for aliens encountered within 100 air miles of the border and 14 days of entry, and aliens who arrived in the United States by sea other than at a port of entry,” the agency states.
The action also seeks to expand a police-based immigration enforcement program known as 287(g), which allows local and state officers to perform immigration duties if they undergo the requisite training. The program fell out of favor under the Obama administration after Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced in 2012 that it wouldn’t renew contracts that were in place at the time.
“Empowering state and local law enforcement agencies to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration law is critical to an effective enforcement strategy, and CBP and ICE will work with interested and eligible jurisdictions,” the memo reads.
This is going to be a humanitarian catastrophe. It’s going to be devastating for a lot of industries – agriculture, construction, hospitality – all of which will be a drag on Texas’ economy. It will do further damage to our already dented international reputation. And it won’t do a damn thing to make us safer. I wonder what Jeff Sessions will do when churches start offering sanctuary to people who are being targeted. Oh, and it will be a big unfunded mandate on cities and counties, in the same way that the “sanctuary cities” bill in the State Senate will be, if local cops are being required to enforce immigration law. This is going to be very, very ugly. Political Animal, Daily Kos, the Current, and ThinkProgress have more.
#WeAreAllTexas Day of Action for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Tues., Feb 28 #StopSB4
https://m.facebook.com/events/567620246741815
http://www.texastogether.com
Well, the upside to this will be safer roads, as unlicensed, uninsured undocumented immigrants get taken off our roads permanently. That should help with traffic, because as the undocumented start getting removed, the remaining undocumented hopefully will be “scared straight” and quit driving their uninsured cars without a license.
Another benefit will be a de facto increase in minimum wage, as we get rid of excess unskilled workers and businesses are forced to compete for fewer and fewer potential employees. This should be good news for people upset about “income inequality.” And what a great way to stick it to all those evil business owners who just want to take advantage of and oppress illegals by working them cheaply?
Reducing income inequality? Sticking it to business owners? Putting a stop to business owners taking advantage of the undocumented by paying them low wages? This ought to be celebrated by liberals, right?
I’m super excited about this!
To say that he is deporting more than Obama is a lie. No numbers to prove that. Progressives are just now looking at deportations because someone else other than Obama is doing it. The “new moral majority strikes again”
Paul,
That’s true, but it looks like Trump just took the gloves off ICE. What a novel concept…..encouraging people to do the job they are getting paid to do, instead of bogging them down with multiple rules that prevent them from doing their jobs. Seems like typical government efficiency.
And just think. All this hoopla is over something the previous administration did, and IS THE LAW. Where were all these frantic people when immigration laws were passed? Why weren’t they rioting in the streets back then? Why weren’t they rioting when Obama was deporting people?
Obama and deporting……
http://www.snopes.com/obama-deported-more-people/
Let me know when Trump catches up with Obama. More fake news.
Oh, the irony. All these “best and brightest” people we are getting ready to deport? Guess what? Mexico doesn’t want them back!
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mexico-idUSKBN16127O?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social
Why wouldn’t Mexico want these people repatriated, to help make Mexico great again?
My bet…Trump will never deport as many as Obama. The hypocrisy of the left is just stunning.
@ Paul:
Trump is running 1,000 under Obama’s January 2016 total, so he’s off to a slow start. Funny how the undocumented immigrant supporters aren’t praising Trump for deporting fewer people than Obama did, on a monthly comparison basis.
Obama deports = no problem
Trump deports fewer people = Trump is Hitler, we must resist!
Here’s a rebuttal to your assertion, Paul:
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/02/whos-deporter-chief
I read the blog. it is a very poor attempt by the writer to make excuses for the Obama deportations in my opinion. If I had her on the stand for cross examination I don’t think it would go well.
She needs a little more than a few paragraphs to make her point.