Department of Homeland Security releases new immigration enforcement guidelines

  Off of the heals of Donald Trump’s Executive Orders on illegal immigration which he signed last month the Department of Homeland Security today issued new enforcement guidelines. Here is more:

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly moved Tuesday to implement a host of immigration enforcement changes ordered by President Trump, directing agency heads to hire thousands more officers, end so-called “catch-and-release” policies and begin work on the president’s promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

“It is in the national interest of the United States to prevent criminals and criminal organizations from destabilizing border security,” Kelly wrote in one of two memos released Tuesday by the department.

The memos follow up on Trump’s related executive actions from January and, at their heart, aim to toughen enforcement by expanding the categories of illegal immigrants targeted for deportation. 

  One group of people who will be spared are the “dreamers.” When Donald Trump signed his Executive Orders on immigration he claimed the orders focused on enforcing existing laws and that is what this appears to do for the most part.

A DHS official said the agencies are “going back to our traditional roots” on enforcement.  

  Here is a list of some of what is contained in the guidelines:

Prioritizing criminal illegal immigrants and others for deportation, including those convicted or charged with “any criminal offense,” or who have “abused” any public welfare program

Expanding the 287(g) program, which allows participating local officers to act as immigration agents – and had been rolled back under the Obama administration

Starting the planning, design and construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall

Hiring 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers

Hiring 5,000 Border Patrol agents

  Ending “catch-and-release” policies under which illegal immigrants subject to deportation potentially are allowed to “abscond” and fail to appear at removal hearings

  In other words they are going to start doing their jobs again and it looks like they will be better equipped to do so.

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium