News Release from Jewell Stewart & Pratt – February 23, 2017 On Monday, February 20, 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued two memoranda to its sub-agencies concerning immigration enforcement and in particular the agency’s plans for implementing President Trump’s two Executive Orders related to U.S. border and interior enforcement. The DHS memoranda rescind and replace all previous agency guidance regarding enforcement priorities against undocumented immigrants (with the exception of President Obama’s Dreamer and DACA/DAPA orders), expanding the pool of persons prioritized for removal to include undocumented immigrants who have been charged with (not necessarily convicted of) any criminal offense, or who have “committed acts” that constitute a chargeable offense. The memoranda also end long-standing protections to children, massively expand immigration detention, and call for the hiring of thousands of ICE and CBP officers. Further commentary is available here.
As of February 23, 2017, a revised “travel ban” has not been released by the White House. Reports indicate that it may be released in the week of February 27th. To date, there are no confirmed reports of what the revised ban will entail.
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