U.S. President Donald Trump's administration announced Tuesday that it was rolling back Biden-era guidelines that limited federal immigration arrests near sensitive places including schools, hospitals and churches.
Acting US Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman rescinded the order on Monday, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced. Huffman also issued a restrictive directive use of the word “parole” that former US President Joe Biden hired to allow hundreds of thousands of migrants legal, temporary entry into the US.
Trump, a Republican, spent a number of executive orders on Monday, aimed at ending illegal immigration and achieving the goal of illegally deporting millions of U.S. immigrants.
The Biden administration issued guidance in 2021 that limited immigration enforcement near so-called “protected areas,” replacing similar enforcement rules from 2011 and 2013.
U.S. President Donald Trump launched a sweeping crackdown on immigration on Monday, tasking the U.S. military with helping provide border security, issuing a sweeping ban on asylum and taking steps to limit the citizenship of children born on U.S. soil.
It is unclear whether federal immigration officials and border agents will revert to the older guidance.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest,” DHS said in a statement.
Schools, hospitals and churches across the country have expressed concerns about Trump's mass deportation initiative, and some have developed their own response plans.
On Monday, Trump withdrew existing guidance for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers that prioritized serious criminals and expanded the scope of enforcement, including targeting migrants with final deportation orders.
Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, said ICE would focus on tracking down serious criminals, but anyone without legal status could be arrested.