On his first day in office, former President Donald Trump issued executive orders aimed at reversing restrictions placed on federal immigration officials by the Biden administration. One of the key changes involved lifting limitations on where immigration laws can be enforced.
Previously, a memo signed by Biden's Secretary of Homeland Security had restricted immigration officials from enforcing laws in certain 'protected areas' like schools, healthcare facilities, and places of worship. Trump's reversal now allows officials to use 'a healthy dose of common sense' and discretion in their enforcement activities.
The memo emphasized that creating strict rules on where immigration laws can be enforced is not within the purview of the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents welcomed the move, stating that it would enable them to target more illegal immigrants.
Another executive order issued on Trump's first day called for a review of the Biden administration's expanded use of humanitarian parole. The new order stressed that parole authority should be applied on a 'case-by-case basis' to prevent past abuses and limit its use to specific circumstances.
Under the humanitarian parole memo, the heads of ICE and Customs and Border Protection were instructed to assess existing parole-related instructions, policies, and procedures, and develop a plan to phase out any that do not align with statutory requirements.
