The White House announced a new wave of immigration enforcement changes this Tuesday that promises to follow through with many of President Trump’s campaign promises on illegal immigration.
“It is in the national interest of the United States to prevent criminals and criminal organizations from destabilizing border security,” said Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
Changes include ending “catch-and-release” policies, hiring thousands of additional officers, and starting work on the US-Mexico border wall.
The new initiatives, which follow up on Trump’s controversial executive orders from January, aim to tighten enforcement by widening the groups of illegals targeted for deportation. The DHS will no longer “exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement” with the exception of “dreamers” – young adults who received protections from the Obama Administration.
“We’re going to treat everyone humanely and with dignity, but we are going to execute the laws of the United States,” said a DHS official amid unfounded worries that National Guard troops could be used to round up illegals.
The new set of initiatives includes:
• Prioritizing criminal illegals for deportation
• Allowing local police to act as immigration agents
• Planning and construction of the border wall
• Hiring 10,000 additional ICE agents
• Hiring 5,000 additional border patrol agents
The timelines and budgets for many of these projects are still unclear. Secretary Kelly has asked for “identifying and quantifying” sources of aid to Mexico, which implies that the DHS may use funds already meant for Mexico to start building the border wall.
This week’s changes come as the Trump Administration works to re-write the travel ban, which remains suspended after a federal court ruling.
Author’s Note: Rumors, accusations, and rants are sure to flow from the Left regarding Trump’s new plans to crack down on illegal immigration, but what many people don’t seem to realize is the conservative perspective on this issue: we feel like we’re being invaded because our borders are not secure.
Once our border does become secure (with a border wall), the perception of “invasion” will disappear. Then, we can afford to be more compassionate with the illegals who are here. The change in attitude will be immediate and phenomenal.