Mark Morgan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement outlined ICE's new strategy to reduce illegal immigration at the southern border. During a press conference on Tuesday, Mr. Morgan vowed to step up efforts to deport illegal aliens currently residing in the United States. Despite not setting a timeline for when these deportations will begin, Mr. Morgan explained that the move is an attempt to further deter Central American immigrants from approaching the border through Mexico.
Mr. Morgan explained during a briefing with reporters that this new focus would apply to illegal aliens who have missed their court hearings or otherwise received deportation orders:
We will be going after individuals who have gone through due process, who have received final orders of deportation. That will include families. Right now we're talking about that and what it should look like.
Mr. Morgan, who served as Border Patrol chief at the end of the Obama administration noted that family deportation operations under President Obama led to a decline in illegal immigration at the southern border. He also criticized Congress for their lack of action in helping combat the crisis at the border. He said Congress has "failed" to assist federal immigration authorities with a surge of Central American families by not approving additional funding for immigrant housing and detention centers, as reported by The New York Times.
Mr. Morgan also had words for Mexican authorities, now facing a new wave of tariffs on imports until more action is taken to keep immigrants from reaching the southern border - "get off the sidelines and join us on the field to be equal co-partners to address this issue." The New York Times, however, reports that Mexican officials, now in Washington D.C. to begin negotiations, separately told reporters that they plan to reject that proposal.
Mr. Morgan ended his press conference with the following warning directed at Americans who believe that they may not be affected by the record-high numbers of illegal immigrants entering the United States:
Every city and every state in this country is a border city and a border state, with respect to this crisis.
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