New Trump Orders Call For Increase In Deportations Of Undocumented Immigrants

President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration may force the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deport many more undocumented immigrants by broadening the scope of who qualifies for deportation, according to a report in The New York Times.

The new rules put undocumented immigrants across the country in danger. They now risk deportation if convicted for any crime, or found to “have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits.” The report also states that persons who have resided anywhere in the United States without government authorization for two years now qualify for expedited removal. The Obama administration's guidelines were far more lenient, with expedited removal only used for undocumented immigrants found within 100 miles of the border, who had been in the USA for less than 14 days.

These new measures translate to a significant funding increase for the DHS and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.): 10,000 new immigration and customs agents will be hired, new detention facilities will be built, and a new department within the DHS will be established to provide support to the families of victims killed by illegal immigrants. On the campaign trail, Trump claimed that "thousands of Americans" had been killed, but there is no data to back up this statement.

I.C.E. and Customs and Border Protection agents will also revive a program that allows local police officers and sheriff's deputies to assist in deportations, "effectively making them de facto immigration agents."

Officials speaking anonymously to The New York Times claimed that "some of the proposals for increased enforcement will roll out slowly as the department finalizes the logistics and legal rules for more aggressive action."

On President's Day, protests against President Trump sprung up across the country. Last Thursday, thousands of workers stayed home for the "Day Without Immigrants" boycott.