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People participate in a march and rally to show support
for 'A Day Without Immigrants', in Washington, DC,

Trump admin widens net for deportations

WASHINGTON, February 22, 2017

The US Department of Homeland Security Tuesday issued new memos based on President Trump’s executive orders for aggressive enforcement of immigration laws, including a potentially massive expansion of the number of people detained and deported, media sources said.

The administration also highlighted that it is leaving intact the DACA program -- President Barack Obama's protections for so-called DREAMers -- even if the new rules chip away at protections for undocumented migrants overall, CNN reported.

Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly’s memos instruct agents to also prioritize undocumented immigrants who have been charged with a crime but not convicted of it, or committed an act that may be criminal offenses but haven’t been charged for it.

Those categories mean that almost any brush with the American law-enforcement system could make an undocumented immigrant a target for removal, according to a report in The Atlantic.

The memo prioritizes those who “engaged in fraud or wilful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter before a governmental agency” or abused a public-benefit program. That could include undocumented immigrants who use fake Social Security numbers to obtain employment, for example.

The memo also includes a catch-all category authorizing immigration officials to remove anyone who they believe to pose a “risk to public safety or national security.”

The memos serve to expand upon the orders, which are unrelated to the controversial travel ban currently tied up in the courts and being re-written by the White House, added the CNN report.




Tags: Immigration | Homeland security | Travel ban | Trump |

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