The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday released details on how it will prosecute undocumented immigrants and criminal immigrants.
In two memos, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly repealed all guidance given to immigration enforcement officers by the Obama administration, save for those relating to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
The memos are consistent with how the Trump administration has enforced immigration laws, expanding raids and the definition of criminal aliens, while diminishing sanctuary areas and enlisting local law enforcement to execute federal immigration policy.
The documents, made official Tuesday, were leaked to several news outlets over the holiday weekend.
The memos shed more light on Trump’s decision to vastly expand the definition of criminal immigrants who are priorities for deportation.
Parents and other adults who help children enter the U.S. illegally could now be subject to deportation or criminal prosecution.
The measure is meant to discourage Central American children who make the often-dangerous trek into the country. The number has surged over the past three years, as minors flee gang violence in countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Unaccompanied minors who arrive in the U.S. are treated differently under the law than adults; they must be resettled with parents or other adults in the country as they await their immigration cases.
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