Reuters reported on January 23 that President Donald Trump’s administration has directed prosecutors to investigate officials who resist efforts to enforce regulations dealing with illegal immigrants, in an effort to increase repression due to illegal immigration. he launched on his first day after taking office.
American churches and schools are no longer safe havens for illegal immigrants under President Trump
According to a memo cited by Reuters on January 23, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed department staff that state and local officials must cooperate in efforts to deal with illegal immigration. In addition, federal prosecutors “need to investigate incidents related to any wrongdoing to consider handling them.”
The Justice Department could also challenge laws that complicate the federal government’s efforts, Bove said.
A member of the US National Guard at the border with Mexico in Texas on January 22
The above policy comes as the new Republican administration prepares to strengthen control over illegal immigration in cities with large immigrant populations, leading to the risk of confrontations with officials in the cities. like New York and Chicago, which have been uncooperative with this effort.
The new memo represents the Justice Department’s push to support his agenda, which goes beyond prosecuting illegal immigrants or those who recruit them to serve as city officials. and state. This is the latest in a series of executive actions President Trump has taken to curb illegal immigration, his top priority.
During Mr. Trump’s first term (from 2017-2021), many Democratic officials refused to cooperate with his enforcement efforts, and some vowed to protest again.
“We know that we do not have to participate in immigration enforcement activities,” according to CNN citing Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
However, the resistance in the Democratic Party this time is not uniform. In the US House of Representatives on January 22, 46 Democrats joined 217 Republicans to pass a law forcing illegal immigrants to be detained for deportation if they are accused of theft.
This bill has been passed by the Senate with Democratic support and is currently on its way to Mr. Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
