On Tuesday, the Donald Trump administration established new immigration control guidelines, including speeding up the process of deporting undocumented immigrants and hiring 15,000 new immigration agents.
Among the guidelines, signed by Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, is the recruitment of 10,000 new agents for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and 5,000 more for the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
“The rise of illegal immigration on the southern border has overwhelmed federal agencies and created significant threats to U.S. national security,” the guidelines emphasize.
It also specifies a policy change which states that not only will deportation target undocumented immigrants who have been charged with violent criminal charges, but it will also target those who have “abused” public benefits or who, “in the opinion of an immigration official, pose a risk to public safety and national security.
Kelly added that the Department of Homeland Security, “will no longer exempt,” undocumented immigrants from, “law enforcement,” or in other words, deportation.
This marks a notable change from the guidelines set during Barack Obama’s administration, which ordered that deportations not be carried out in response to minor law violations, such as driving without a license or having a faulty tail light.
The act gives greater legal discretion to federal immigration agents and allows state and local agents to participate in border security efforts.
