Trump says ICE can arrest people in churches and schools, instructs agency to use ‘common sense’

On By Littum


Washington
CNN
—

Federal immigration officials will be authorized to arrest people and conduct enforcement actions in and near places such as churches and schools, marking a departure from longstanding policy of avoiding so-called sensitive areas.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman announced the end of two directives in a statement that give agents more authority over whether they conduct enforcement and eliminate a legal route for migrants seeking to enter the United States.

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement officers and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the statement read.

It is a key example of how enforcement will be different under the new Trump administration from the Biden administration.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement established a policy in 2011 that prevented agents from making arrests at sensitive locations. The Biden administration issued similar guidance. Immigrant advocates have shared concerns about removing the policy, arguing that it would instill fear in immigrant communities and prevent children from going to school or people from seeking care in hospitals.

The second directive includes the phasing out of parole programs that allowed certain migrants to temporarily live and work in the United States. Republicans have repeatedly said the Biden administration abused the parole program by expanding it to more nationalities. The statement did not specify which programs would be phased out, but said the program would be returned on a “case-by-case basis.”

“The Biden-Harris administration abused the humanitarian parole program to arbitrarily allow 1.5 million migrants into our country. It was all stopped on day one by the Trump administration. This action will return the humanitarian parole program to its original purpose , namely looking at migrants on a case-by-case basis, the statement says.