Illegal immigrants are facing greater opposition as the Homeland Security Secretary created new deportation guidelines.
In the guidelines, Secretary John Kelly enabled more aggressive tactics by federal authorities when detaining and deporting immigrants. He also outlined hiring thousands more agents and expanding the number of priority deportations. Additionally, he plans on speeding up deportation hearings and enlisting local officers to help in the process.
Kelly claimed that there were 10,000 to 15,000 more arrests at the southern U.S. border between 2015 and 2016.
“The surge of immigration at the southern border has overwhelmed federal agencies and resources,” he said. “[It] has created a significant national security vulnerability to the United States.”
Although the plan provides specific guidelines, White House officials say the memo is not a definite ruling. The White House Counsel’s Office is reviewing the draft and may seek some changes, although they did not mention specifics.
Secretary Kelly’s memo comes after President Donald Trump executed numerous orders in January regarding immigration. Accordingly, Kelly developed the new guidelines to create a Department of Homeland Security blueprint for dealing with immigration. Officials say that once approved, Kelly’s order will direct DHS employees to begin following new immigration policies.
Part of the memo includes information about Trump’s planned wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Kelly’s memo directs federals officials to seek to fund, but Congress must approve the allocations.
While federal officials believe the new policies will help the country develop, others say they overdramatically expand enforcement. If approved, the policies will let authorities request expedited deportation for any immigrant who has been in the U.S. for up to two years. Previously, it was limited to undocumented immigrants who were in the U.S. for less than two weeks.
As part of the provision, officials will also immediately send back Mexican immigrants apprehended at the border, pending hearings. Currently, the U.S. houses Mexican immigrants on U.S. property. Furthermore, officers will arrest parents who immigrated to the U.S. and pay smugglers to bring their children.
“This memo is just breathtaking,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. “The way they really are looking at every part of the entire system.”
