Today Pres. Trump signed two executive orders that authorize the immediate construction of a wall on the southern border, stops federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions and ends the catch and release policy.
The Border Security executive order authorizes the construction of a physical wall on the southern border. “The secretary of Homeland Security, working with myself and my staff, will begin immediate construction of a border wall," Pres. Trump said during a press conference at DHS headquarters.
This order also gives all officers and employees of the United States, including Border Patrol, access to all Federal lands in order to enforce immigration laws. It also ends the “catch and release” policy enacted by Pres. Obama. Under this policy illegal aliens were released once they filed their asylum claim instead of being detained until their immigration hearing.
Other key components of the Border Security executive order:
- It calls for 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents.
- Allows DHS to create more detention centers to house illegal aliens.
- Directs Attorney General to hire more immigration judges.
- Narrows credible fear designations for asylum applications.
The other executive order focuses on enhancing interior enforcement by prohibiting any jurisdictions that fail to comply with federal law from receiving federal funds. It also triples the number of ICE officers and replaces Pres. Obama’s Priorities Enforcement Program (PEP) with the Secure Communities program.
Other key components of the Enhancing Interior Enforcement executive order:
- It calls for 10,000 new ICE officers.
- Suspends visas from countries who refuse to take back their citizens.
- Adds any illegal alien who has abused any program in order to receive U.S. public benefits to the enforcement priorities list.
- Adds any illegal alien who has not complied with their final deportation order to the enforcement priorities list.
- Charges the DHS Secretary to create a weekly Declined Detainer Outcome Report that lists all current sanctuary jurisdictions and criminal actions committed by illegal aliens in those jurisdictions. This report will be made available to the public.
These two executive orders fully or partially address 7 out of NumbersUSA’s “10 Steps to Fix Our Broken Immigration System".
