U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela said he fears the immigration raids this past week are the beginning of mass deportation efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration who re-established the Secure Communities program last month, but U.S. immigration officials say the shift in enforcement priorities has nothing to do with the roundups.
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela said he fears the immigration raids this past week are the beginning of mass deportation efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration who re-established the Secure Communities program last month, but U.S. immigration officials say the shift in enforcement priorities has nothing to do with the roundups.
This past week Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested hundreds of people believed to be in the country illegally in at least a half a dozen states. The raids were part of Operation Cross Check a code name for sweeps that have resulted in tens of thousands of arrests across the United States since 2011.
“This operation was planned before the new administration took office, but what has changed is the enforcement priorities,” said Vela, D-Brownsville, during an interview Monday with the Texas Tribune.
“His enforcement priorities have radically changed the scope of these raids,” he added. “My fear is that what we are seeing is the beginning of a mass deportation effort.”
Vela was referring to Trump’s termination of the Department of Homeland Security’s Priority Enforcement Program and the reinstitution of the Secure Communities Program.
In 2015, DHS replaced the previous Secure Communities Program with the new Priority Enforcement Program, which established three levels based on removal priority.
Level one included threats to national security, border security and public safety, which include removable migrants who have been convicted of a felony. Level two included removable migrants who have been convicted of three or more “significant misdemeanors” to include, domestic violence or driving under the influence. Level three included those removable migrants who have been issued a final order of removal, according to the ICE website.
According to DHS officials, 99.7 percent of the more than 451,000 repatriations or deportations in fiscal year 2016 fell within one of these three categories.
On Jan. 25, Trump signed the Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States executive order bringing back the Secure Communities Program, which from 2008 to 2014 drew a great deal of criticism, lawsuits, and became a symbol for hostility toward ICE and other agencies enforcing immigration laws.
Secure Communities relied heavily on federal, state and local authorities to enforce federal detainers which a number of federal courts rejected along with many governors, mayors, and state and local officials across the United States.
But if Secure Communities was accused of overreaching, the president’s executive order goes further by expanding the definition of a removable alien to someone who has been charged with any criminal offense, even if they have not been convicted, or someone who has committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense.
Further, anyone who lies or misrepresents themselves before a government agency, or has abused any program related to the receipt of public benefits, is subject to deportation, according to Section 5 of the executive order.
In a statement Friday, ICE stated the focus of their recent operations were routine and were in the works before the administration was in place. “ICE regularly conducts targeted enforcement operations during which additional resources and personnel are dedicated to apprehending deportable foreign nationals,” the statement added.
But Trump took to Twitter on Sunday stating, “The crackdown on illegal criminals is merely the keeping of my campaign promise. Gang members, drug dealers & others are being removed!”
Monday, ICE released another statement saying the president directed their department to focus on removing those in the country illegally who have been convicted or charged with criminal offenses, pose a public threat, and people who have been deported and re-entered the country illegally.
“These operations targeted public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges,” the statement read.
According to the release, ICE officers in the Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Antonio and New York City areas of responsibility arrested more than 680 individuals. Of those arrested, approximately 75 percent were criminal aliens, convicted of crimes including, but not limited to, homicide, aggravated sexual abuse, sexual assault of a minor, lewd and lascivious acts with a child, indecent liberties with a minor, drug trafficking, battery, assault, DUI and weapons charges.
WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a series of targeted enforcement operations across the country. These operations targeted public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges.
ICE officers in the Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Antonio and New York City areas of responsibility arrested more than 680 individuals who pose a threat to public safety, border security or the integrity of our nation’s immigration system. Of those arrested, approximately 75 percent were criminal aliens, convicted of crimes including, but not limited to, homicide, aggravated sexual abuse, sexual assault of a minor, lewd and lascivious acts with a child, indecent liberties with a minor, drug trafficking, battery, assault, DUI and weapons charges.
ICE conducts these kind of targeted enforcement operations regularly and has for many years. The focus of these enforcement operations is consistent with the routine, targeted arrests carried out by ICE’s Fugitive Operations teams on a daily basis.
President Trump has been clear in affirming the critical mission of DHS in protecting the nation and directed our Department to focus on removing illegal aliens who have violated our immigration laws, with a specific focus on those who pose a threat to public safety, have been charged with criminal offenses, have committed immigration violations or have been deported and re-entered the country illegally.
I commend the heroic efforts of the dedicated officers of ICE’s Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations and those who provided assistance from ICE Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as cooperating state and local law enforcement agencies. These professionals put their lives on the line to protect our communities and country. There is no greater calling than to serve and protect our nation – a mission that the men and women of ICE perform with professionalism and courage every single day.
