New DHS guidelines raise risk of deportation for undocumented immigrants

More undocumented immigrants are declared a priority for deportation.

(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

published 21 February 2017

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security released documents briefing its agencies on the Trump administration's expanded guidelines for tackling undocumented immigration and deportation. The documents, which Time described as "essentially instruction manuals for the sweeping executive orders issued by President Trump in late January," eliminate Obama-era guidelines that prioritized recent border crossers, undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes, or those who may have posed a serious threat to national security. Trump will call for the deportation of any immigrant that is "convicted, charged, or suspected of a crime, which could include traffic infractions," The Associated Press reported.

A DHS fact sheet was succinct: "All of those present in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention, and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States."