The Trump administration is tossing out Biden-era guidelines for immigration detention in sensitive areas
US President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Tuesday that it was rolling back a Biden-era directive that limited federal immigration detention facilities, including schools, hospitals and churches.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that US Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman had rescinded the order on Monday. Huffman issued a directive that would limit the use of “amnesties,” which former U.S. President Joe Biden employed to temporarily allow hundreds of thousands of immigrants to enter the U.S. legally.
Trump, a Republican, issued executive orders on Monday aimed at curbing illegal immigration and deporting millions of illegal immigrants in the US.
The Biden administration in 2016 In 2021, he issued a directive to move immigration enforcement closer to what he called “protected areas,” replacing similar enforcement laws from 2011 and 2013.
US President Donald Trump launched his immigration crackdown on Monday, ordering the US military to help with border security, imposing a broad ban on asylum and taking steps to limit citizenship for children born on US soil.
It’s unclear whether federal immigration officers and border agents will return to the old guidelines.
“Criminals cannot hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” DHS said in a statement.
Schools, hospitals and churches around the country have raised concerns about Trump’s mass deportations, with some making plans of their own for how to respond.
Trump last Monday gave US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers priority for serious criminals and expanded the scope of their enforcement, including last-ditch deportation orders targeting immigrants.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said the ICC would focus on going after serious criminals, but anyone without legal recognition could be detained.
