The Trump administration is scaling back Biden’s term guidance on immigration detention in critical areas
US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday announced that it has rescinded Biden’s directive to limit immigration detention to critical facilities, including schools, hospitals and churches.
US Homeland Security Acting Secretary Benjamin Huffman rescinded the order on Monday, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said. Huffman also issued an order prohibiting the use of “parole” that was used by former US president Joe Biden to allow hundreds of thousands of immigrants to enter the US legally for a while.
Trump, a Republican, issued a series of executive orders on Monday aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and furthering his goal of deporting millions of illegal immigrants to the US.
The Biden administration issued guidance in 2021 that limited immigration enforcement near what it called “safe havens,” overriding similar enforcement laws from 2011 and 2013.
US President Donald Trump began his massive immigration campaign on Monday, tasking the US military with border security, issuing a sweeping ban on asylum and taking steps to bar citizenship to children born on American soil.
Whether federal transportation officials and border agents will return to the old guidelines remains unclear.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the DHS said in a statement.
Schools, hospitals and churches across the country have expressed concern over Trump’s move to deport more people, with some drafting plans for how they will respond.
Trump on Monday reversed existing guidelines for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials that prioritize serious criminals and expanded the scope of their enforcement, including targeting immigrants with final deportation orders.
Trump’s border chief, Tom Homan, said ICE would focus on going after serious criminals but anyone without a legal status could be arrested.
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