President Trump Reverses Biden Border Policies; Readies Troops for Deployment
President Trump made it clear that securing the southern border is a top priority for his new administration. The president, on his first day in office, issued numerous executive orders on border security, saying that over the last four years, the U.S. has “endured a large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level.”
National Emergency
In one of the orders, President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border. The declaration will allow the U.S. military and National Guard to assist the Department of Homeland (DHS) in “obtaining full operational control of the southern border.”
The order empowers the Secretary of Defense to send as many troops as needed to the border and orders the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to build additional barriers.
The troops will be tasked with helping DHS personnel with securing detention space, transporting migrants, and other logistics tasks.
According to the Washington Post, the president is ready to send about 10,000 troops to the border, with 1,500 prepared for deployment this week.
Detention Changes
In another order, the president ordered migrants arrested on suspicion of violating federal or state law held until removal, changing the prior administration’s catch and release policy. The president also ordered criminal charges to be pursued against those who violate criminal law.
“Illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” the president said during his inaugural address.
Separately, acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive repealing a prior order that prohibited the arrest of migrants in “protected” areas like hospitals, schools, playgrounds, and other zones. Immigration enforcement can now take place within those venues, raising alarms by civil rights and religious organizations.
Refugee Program Suspended
On seeking asylum, President Trump suspended the refugee resettlement program. Those who were previously approved to come to the U.S. have had their travel plans canceled. The Associated Press says there’s about 10,000 refugees who were approved and were supposed to travel to the U.S. in the coming weeks.
The administration also shut down the CBP One app that migrants had used to apply for asylum and all existing appointments were canceled. According to Reuters, some 280,000 people were logging into the app daily to get an appointment this month.
Sanctuary Cities
And a new Department of Justice (DOJ) memo threatens to prosecute state and local officials who do not go along with deportation efforts.
The memo from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove referenced a new “Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group” and orders U.S. Attorneys to prosecute “state and local actors” who resist, obstruct or “fail to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests.”