Border Patrol and ICE Receive New Orders Overnight as Immigration Policy Changes on a Dime
The Trump administration has wiped away rules imposed by the Biden administration that one report says will “take the gloves off” when federal agents enforce immigration laws.
On Monday, as part of President Donald Trump’s Day One agenda to overhaul border security, the Department of Homeland Security issued two major changes, according to Fox News.
One change ends a ban on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents approaching illegal immigrants in areas such as schools, universities, healthcare facilities, places of worship, social service agencies, food banks, and several other areas.
DHS is also ordering a review of humanitarian parole, which the Biden administration used to allow residents of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to settle in the U.S.
The memo that ended a policy of so-called protected spaces said agents should use their judgment.
“Going forward, law enforcement officers should continue to use that discretion along with a healthy dose of common sense,” the new memo said. “It is not necessary, however, for the head of the agency to create bright line rules regarding where our immigration laws are permitted to be enforced.”
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin offered his take on the impact of the change.
“ICE officers I spoke with say this will open things up for their enforcement efforts and take the gloves off, as illegal aliens will no longer be able to hide near schools, churches, hospitals, etc to avoid arrest,” he wrote in a post on X.
EXCLUSIVE: Late last night, President Trump’s DHS issued a memo that immediately rescinded a 2021 Mayorkas policy which limited ICE enforcement by stopping ICE from making arrests in/near “sensitive” areas like schools, churches, healthcare facilities, etc. The Trump memo throws…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 21, 2025
The memo on humanitarian parole implies that broad use will end and will be replaced with assessment on a “case by case basis,” Fox News reported.
“Most important, the parole statute does not authorize categorical parole programs that make aliens presumptively eligible on the basis of some set of broadly applicable criteria,” it says.
Even more orders are flowing to the Border Patrol, NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley posted on X.
#EXCLUSIVE New direction for the Border Patrol under President Trump goes out to agents last night halting the use of “NTAs” (court dates) while reverting to the previous pursuit and use of force policy:
*No alien will be released from custody on an NTA/OR or otherwise without…
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) January 21, 2025
“New direction for the Border Patrol under President Trump goes out to agents last night halting the use of ‘NTAs’ (court dates) while reverting to the previous pursuit and use of force policy,” she wrote.
“We will no longer refer to aliens as migrants, noncitizens, etc. The legal term is alien and as law enforcement we will use the legal term,” Bradley quoted the Border Patrol instructions as saying.
“We will take a border security first approach. Threats should be prioritized based on risk and addressed in order of priority,” she quoted the instructions as saying, adding, “Border barrier will be prioritized. We anticipate new investments and incomplete projects restarted.”
“In the coming days, the use of force and pursuit policies will revert back to versions in place during President Trump’s previous administrations,” Bradley quoted the instructions as saying.
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