Trump administration throws out policies limiting migrant arrests at sensitive spots like churches
Officers enforcing immigration laws will now be able to arrest migrants at sensitive locations like schools and churches after the Trump administration threw out policies limiting where those arrests could happen as the new president seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations.
The move announced Tuesday reverses guidance that for over a decade has restricted two key federal immigration agencies 바카라 게임 웹사이트 Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection 바카라 게임 웹사이트 from carrying out immigration enforcement in sensitive locations.
바카라 게임 웹사이트This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens 바카라 게임 웹사이트 including murderers and rapists 바카라 게임 웹사이트 who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America바카라 게임 웹사이트s schools and churches to avoid arrest," the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday.
The department said Acting Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued the directive Monday.
The ICE guidance dates back to 2011. Customs and Border Protection issued similar guidance in 2013.
Trump has made cracking down on immigration a top priority, just as he did during his first term in the White House from 2017 to 2021. On Monday he signed a slew of executive actions that included cutting off access to an app that facilitated the entry of hundreds of thousands of migrants; suspending the refugee system; and promoting greater cooperation between ICE and local and state governments.
He has often portrayed his efforts as unleashing the ability of ICE agents and others in immigration enforcement from Biden-era guidelines that he said restricted their efforts to find and remove people who no longer have the authority to remain in the country.
The announcement Tuesday had been expected as Trump works to deliver on his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations of anyone in the country illegally. But it was still jarring for advocates who have argued that raising the prospect of deportation at churches, schools or hospitals can prevent migrants from getting medical attention or allowing their children to attend school.
바카라 게임 웹사이트This action could have devastating consequences for immigrant families and their children, including U.S. citizen children, deterring them from receiving medical attention, seeking out disaster relief, attending school, and carrying out everyday activities,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Olivia Golden, interim executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy, said in a statement.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Should ICE presence near such locations become more common, the likelihood also increases that children could witness a parent바카라 게임 웹사이트s detention, arrest, or other encounters with ICE agents," Golden said.
Under the 바카라 게임 웹사이트sensitive locations바카라 게임 웹사이트 guidance, officers were generally required to get approval for any enforcement operations at those locations, although exceptions were allowed for things like national security.
Trump kept the guidance on sensitive locations in place during his first administration although he did remove similar guidance that restricted immigration enforcement at courthouses. That courthouse guidance was put in place once again during the Biden administration, which also issued its own update to the 바카라 게임 웹사이트sensitive locations바카라 게임 웹사이트 guidance limiting where ICE and CBP officers could carry out immigration enforcement.
Many schools around the country have been preparing for just this eventuality by reaching out to immigrant families and local law enforcement.
In California, officials have offered guidance to schools on state law limiting local participation in immigration enforcement.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Our policy is clear and strong that immigration enforcement is not allowed on our campuses unless forced through a valid court order,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Diana Diaz, spokeswoman for the Fresno Unified School District, one of the largest in California. 바카라 게임 웹사이트We바카라 게임 웹사이트ve been in communication with local law enforcement who has assured us that they will not be supporting immigration enforcement across any of our schools.바카라 게임 웹사이트
A passed by Chicago Public Schools바카라 게임 웹사이트 Board of Education in November said schools would not assist ICE in enforcing immigration law. Agents would not be allowed into schools without a criminal warrant, it said.
Over the years dozens of migrants have sought sanctuary in churches for immigration-related reasons, sometimes staying for weeks at a time to evade ICE capture.
A The Associated Press detailed how since 2014, at least 70 publicly known cases have emerged of people seeking sanctuary in churches for immigration-related reasons, according to Church World Service, a New York organization that supports the sanctuary efforts. Of those, 51 came up since Trump took office in January 2017 and pledged a harder line on immigration.
Rev. K Karper, senior pastor of St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York City, said he felt it was important several days ago to put up a sign informing ICE and Homeland Security they were not permitted inside the church.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s something that we바카라 게임 웹사이트ve been involved with for a long time," he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s part of our religious mission to reach out and provide a place of safety to new arrivals and other people, regardless of their status.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Given the administration's policy change, Karper said his church will make it clear to officers that without a warrant, they don't have any business on church property.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We바카라 게임 웹사이트re a peaceful people. You know, what are we going to do?바카라 게임 웹사이트 he asked. 바카라 게임 웹사이트But we바카라 게임 웹사이트re going to make it clear to anybody who바카라 게임 웹사이트s in the building, who feels threatened by this that they have rights, that they바카라 게임 웹사이트re not required to answer questions, that they바카라 게임 웹사이트re not required without a warrant to produce ID. You know, there바카라 게임 웹사이트s still a rule of law in this country and we바카라 게임 웹사이트re not Germany in the '30s. We바카라 게임 웹사이트re just not.바카라 게임 웹사이트
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Associated Press Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut, contributed to this report.