A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office director has said that “there is no free pass” for illegal immigrants under President Donald Trump’s immigration rules.
Officers are still prioritizing illegal immigrants who have committed a crime or are a threat to public safety, said Matt Elliston, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Baltimore field office.
Why It Matters
Trump made immigration a central theme of his successful presidential campaign and Americans largely support his mass deportation plans.
A New York Times/Ipsos poll, carried out from Jan. 2 to 10, found 55 percent of voters strongly or somewhat supported such plans. Eighty-eight percent supported “Deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have criminal records.” Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agreed that the immigration system is broken.
What To Know
ICE daily arrests have shot up since Trump took office.
Daily arrests averaged 311 in the year to Sept. 30, and stayed steady for the first days after Trump took office.
However, numbers spiked on Sunday to 956 and 1,179 on Monday, numbers that, if continued, will break records.
Restrictions Lifted on Sensitive Locations
Trump has lifted guidelines that restricted ICE from operating at “sensitive locations” including schools, churches or hospitals.
The decision has raised fears that migrants may avoid these locations including avoiding seeking medical care.
Elliston said that it was rare for ICE to enter of these locations.
He said that during his career, he had only entered a school once, to help stop an active shooter.
Other guidelines have been removed, allowing ICE operations at courthouses.
Are ‘Collateral Arrests’ Now Legal?
Under the Biden administration, officers could only arrest those targeted for removal. So called “collateral arrests” were banned.
Officers can now arrest people without legal status if they come across them while looking for someone else.
In Maryland, ICE arrested 13 people on Monday. Nine were targets and four were collateral arrests.
One of the people who was not a target had an aggravated theft conviction. Another had already been deported once, and two others had final orders of removal.
The new administration drew attention to arrests on Sunday in Chicago, which involved the participation of the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which are part of the Justice Department.
What People Are Saying
Matt Elliston, director of ICE’s Baltimore field office described his department’s priorities: “The worst go first.” He added “We’re looking for those public safety, national security cases. The big difference being, nobody has a free pass anymore.”
“I really hate the word ‘raids’ because it gives people the wrong impression, as if we’re just arbitrarily going door to door and saying, ‘Show us your papers,'” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Democrat Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly noting that her family emigrated from Ireland said “The dreams of immigrants have built in America and continue to inject new energy, new vitality and new strength into our country,”
What Happens Next
If immigration arrests continue at the same pace, daily arrests could break records.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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