The Trump administration has overturned policies that prohibited US immigration authorities from making arrests at sensitive locations such as schools, churches, and hospitals.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection are now allowed to apprehend migrants in these areas, which was previously restricted for over a decade.
The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both agencies, justified the decision, stating, “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.” The department added, “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
This directive is one of two issued by Benjamine Huffman, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The second directive reinstates “expedited removal” nationwide, enabling ICE to quickly deport undocumented individuals arrested within the country who cannot prove they have been continuously present for more than two years.
President Trump recently signed executive actions aimed at reducing immigration, including cutting off access to an app that facilitated entry for hundreds of thousands of people, suspending the refugee system, and promoting cooperation between ICE and local governments.
Administration officials have vowed to commence mass deportations, with Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, stating that immigration agents would conduct arrests and deportations across the United States. Advocates have warned that allowing arrests at sensitive locations will have harmful consequences.
