Department of Homeland Security Releases Expanded Deportation Policies

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued documents revealing the horrifying ways Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration will be implemented. 

The documents, issued by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, show that the agency will be fully supporting Trump’s plans and agents will now be arresting all undocumented people who have been convicted or suspected of committing any criminal offense. A new ICE office will be established solely for people who are identified as victims of crimes committed by undocumented people to fund them with resources.

The implementation guidelines also call for the hiring of an additional 10,000 Immigration Customs & Enforcement (ICE) agents, 5,000 Customs and Border Protection agents, and 500 air and marine agents. Under these new rules, the 287(g) Program will be expanded, which means ICE and CBP will recruit local police officers and sheriff’s deputies to act as de facto immigration agents to assist with deportations. Under the Obama administration, the program was scaled back and currently is in 32 jurisdictions. The expansion of this program and increased numbers of agents will most likely result in even more immigration raids across the country.

DHS, under these new directives, will no longer acknowledge the right to privacy of people who are not American citizens or green card holders. From now on, when undocumented people access services such as undocumented immigrant ID card programs, their medical, legal, and other information could be accessed by immigration authorities.

The policy also will expand the number of people eligible for expedited removal. Previously, expedited removal was only used for people who were within 100 miles of the border and had been in the country for less than two weeks. However, now undocumented people throughout the United States who have been in the country for two years or less are eligible to be deported without a shred of due process.

For now, DREAMers, who are protected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), will not be targeted unless they commit a crime. However, due to expanded language like this, it could only be a matter of time before the Trump administration aims their efforts at them as well.

The Trump Administration is using national security and safety as a shield for its racist and xenophobic ideologies. As my Feministing fam, Barbara says,

“In the eyes of the state, immigrants are always already criminal. Being perceived as one of the “good” immigrants won’t save us. So let’s not create false binaries that treat some of us as disposable.”

People of color who are citizens must stand in solidarity with immigrants, because these same ideologies are used to justify our criminalization. 

Header via Al Jazeera.