President Trump’s executive orders on immigration were translated into policy by the Department of Homeland Security, according to memos signed by DHS Secretary John Kelly.
The documents show a deliberate shift from the Obama administration’s immigration policies in numerous ways. As laid out in Trump's executive order, immigrants convicted of any criminal offense will be subject to deportation unlike the previous administration, which prioritized deporting immigrants convicted of serious crimes. However, as cited in the order and the policy, discretion lies with the immigration officer to determine whether someone "pose[s] a risk to public safety," and should be deported.
New policies also allow for easier immediate deportation by expanding the expedited removal process. This specific part of the policy allows U.S Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport people at a faster rate from anywhere in the country. DHS has also ordered 10,000 new immigration and customs agents, plus the revival of a program that qualifies local police officers to assist in deportation.
According to the memo, the changes will not affect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, which allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors to access two-year renewable relief from deportation and work permits. Data from 2015 shows there are more than 600,000 people under DACA, which was passed in 2012 under the Obama administration.
Read the full policy memorandum from DHS here.
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