US immigration officials will review their approach to arrests and deportations under President Biden, according to Homeland Security officials.
“The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently rescinded two 2018 policy memos related to issuing Attendance Notices when processing immigration benefit applications,” said USCIS spokesman Matthew Bourke on Sunday. “The agency was instructed to terminate the relevant policy in a [Department of Homeland Security] memorandum issued on January 20. “
It was on that day that Biden was sworn in – and when he signed a series of executive orders, some of which revoked parts of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy. He reinforced protections for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and stopped work on the border wall.
ARCHIVE – In this February 5, 2021 archival photo, President Joe Biden talks about the economy in the White House State Dining Room in Washington. Biden’s pressure for a giant COVID-19 relief bill is forcing an internal reckoning that opposes his instincts to work toward a bipartisan deal against the demands of an urgent crisis and his desire to deliver to those who helped to elect him. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon, Archive)
ANGEL DAD SLAMS JOE BIDEN IMMIGRATION ORDERS
“Due to limited resources, DHS cannot respond to all immigration violations or remove all people illegally in the United States,” says the memo. “Instead, DHS should implement civil immigration enforcement based on sensible priorities and changing circumstances.”
The DHS change took effect on February 1 and tried to suspend evictions for 100 days, except under certain circumstances – before a judge closed the policy.
Texas Democratic MP Henry Cuellar told America’s News Headquarters on Sunday that he called the White House to raise concerns about the new government’s immigration policy.
“There are policies that we had under President Obama that I think we need to examine and implement,” he said. “And in fact … President Obama deported more people than President Trump.”
The change in orientation aims to encourage non-citizens to send documents to immigration officials without fear of being deported immediately.
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In addition, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will soon receive new guidance that will lead to fewer arrests and deportations while using more resources for national security issues, suspected sex offenders, gang members, criminals and newcomers, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The policy change would mean that police officers would no longer seek deportations for immigrants convicted of drunken driving and assault and weaken ICE’s ability to arrest wanted immigrants in correctional institutions.
The ICE would stop pursuing the deportations of drug trafficking criminals, DUI drivers, low-profile aggressors, fraudsters and thieves, according to a memo from director Tae Johnson previously obtained by the Washington Post.
“They abolished ICE without abolishing ICE,” an unnamed official told the newspaper.
Cuellar expressed opposition to such a policy.
“I support the ICE,” said the Democratic Congressman, whose district touches the border. “I support the men and women who are there. We just have to find the right policy ”.
Griff Jenkins of Fox News contributed to this report.