Trump administration gives new guidelines for enforcing immigration policies

Recently released memorandums provide more detailed information on President Trump’s new immigration policies.

“What the new administration wants to do, or accomplish, with the memorandums is to regulate and enforce the immigration laws that we already have,” said immigration attorney, Braulio Sebastian Sanchez, of Sanchez Law Group.

According to Sanchez, the new immigration policies will, among other things, redefine the criteria for immigrants considered “arriving aliens.”

Sanchez said that under the new definition more undocumented immigrants face deportation, without the ability to stand before an immigration judge.

“The new memorandum is expanding the definition of ‘arriving alien’ to someone not only who is here illegally- and within 100 miles of the border- but instead of focusing on 14 days, it is expanding it to two years,” said Sanchez.

Sanchez said he’s worried that under the new definition a person’s individual situation may be disregarded.

“There are instances where that person could qualify for an immigration relief, if he has the opportunity to see an immigration judge,” said Sanchez.

However, the Trump Administration said their priority is to prevent the system from being abused, most notably in asylum cases.

“The goal of DHS is to ensure the asylum process is not abused,” read a statement on the Department of Homeland Security’s website, “Generally speaking, to establish a credible fear of persecution, an alien must demonstrate that there is a ‘significant possibility’ that the alien could establish eligibility for asylum, taking into account the credibility of the statements made by the alien in support of the claim and such other facts as are known to the officer.”

Moreover, the memorandums don’t stipulate new policies for DACA recipients, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, who can currently qualify for a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and are eligible for a work permit.

During a recent news conference President Trump said, in reference to DACA policies, “We are going to show great heart DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me, I will tell you. To me, it’s one of the most difficult subjects I have… because you have some absolutely incredible kids…”

The memorandums also address the construction of a border wall.

“CBP is taking immediate action in response to the president’s executive order. We have identified locations near El Paso, Texas, Tucson, Arizona, and El Centro, California, where we will build a wall in areas where the fence or old brittle landing-mat fencing are no longer effective,” according to a statement on DHS’s website.

The memorandum also discussed the hiring of 10,000 new ICE agents. An additional 5000 Customs and Border Protection employees were announced on January 25.

An immigration workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, February 23, at Gethsemane Baptist Church in San Luis, Arizona. For more information, you can contact Sanchez Law Group at 928-782-3110.