Memo gives DHS authority to quickly deport certain immigrants: NPR

Immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border shows a U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP app for requesting an appointment to apply for asylum.

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Gilles Clarenne/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Trump administration memo paves the way for immigration authorities to quickly remove migrants who were temporarily sent to the country during the Biden administration.

More than 1 million immigrants were allowed into the United States under the two Biden-era programs, although critics say the programs themselves are illegal.

It's part of a broader push by the Trump administration to crack down on immigration promised during the campaign, quickly sweeping away the previous administration's immigration policies.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman signed memorandum That allowed immigration authorities to begin removing immigrants who were legally admitted into the country under a program from two agencies that relied on humanitarian parole.

These include immigrants admitted through the CBP ONE app, which allows immigrants to schedule an appointment at the port of entry to begin filing an asylum claim. The Trump administration shut down the app's scheduling feature on Monday, leaving Migrants in Mexico desperate at Mexican port of entry.

The memo could also apply to plans for people fleeing Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. That program also ended this week.

The two plans are part of what the Biden administration calls the “legal pathway” to stop migrants from illegally crossing the U.S. southern border to seek asylum. But immigration hardwoods believe the plans themselves are illegal.

“These mass parole programs deal with illegal immigration simply by legalizing it,” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that advocates for lower immigration. “In a sense, the Biden administration is telling people who want to come here, don't break the law by crossing the border illegally. We're going to make you break it by illegally crossing it.”

It’s no surprise that the Trump administration moved quickly to shut down these programs. But it's unclear what will happen to the more than 1.4 million people admitted to the U.S. under the two programs.

Now, a Department of Homeland Security memo clears the way for the Trump administration to begin arrests and deportations, but the details of how that will work in practice are complicated.

This memo is provided by The New York Timessaid ICE agents should review each case individually and determine what enforcement is needed.

Now, immigration advocates worry that people fleeing dangerous places could be forced back — and that the process could develop quickly.

“For this administration, cruelty and chaos are the focus,” said Kate Jastram, director of policy and advocacy at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies.

The memo directs authorities to consider expedited removals of immigrants who have been present in the United States for up to two years.

Expedited removal will initially only apply to migrants who have recently crossed the border. But this week, the Trump administration made a huge expansion that allows immigration authorities to bypass parts of regular immigration law and expedite deportations.

For immigrants who are not eligible for expedited removal, the memo directs authorities to consider placing them in regular deportation proceedings.

“Take all necessary steps to review the alien's case and consider, in the exercise of law enforcement discretion, whether any such alien should be placed in removal proceedings,” the memo said. “Review the alien's parole status to determine In the exercise of law enforcement discretion, whether parole remains appropriate given any change in legal or factual circumstances.”

The memo said authorities may want to prioritize immigrants who have been in the United States for a year but failed to apply for asylum.