Trump empowers immigration agents to raid churches, schools for deportations
The Trump administration has expanded the authority of immigration agents, allowing them to make arrests at previously protected locations such as schools and churches.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman revoked a directive that restricted agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as Customs and Border Protection, from conducting operations at schools, places of worship, hospitals, and events such as weddings and funerals, Caliber.Az reports via Bloomberg.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement on January 21. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
The rollback, part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, eliminates protections meant to ensure immigrants could access essential services without fear of arrest.
In a related development, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, confirmed that targeted immigration raids were already underway across the United States, although he declined to specify their locations. President Trump has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in US history, with plans to target approximately 11 million undocumented individuals currently living in the country.
Additionally, the Trump administration has moved to disband the Family Reunification Task Force, an initiative created during the Biden administration to reunite children separated from their parents under Trump’s earlier family separation policy.
It is relevant to recall that in his first days back in office, President Donald Trump initiated a series of executive actions aimed at overhauling U.S. immigration policies. Key developments include signing an executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants. This move has sparked legal debates regarding its constitutionality. Trump also declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, enabling the deployment of additional military resources to enforce border security. His administration has reintroduced the "Remain in Mexico" policy, requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their U.S. immigration cases are processed.
Plans are underway for large-scale deportations targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records or final deportation orders, with cities like Chicago and New York expected to be among the initial areas to experience these operations. Additionally, the administration is focusing on sanctuary cities, aiming to enforce federal immigration laws more strictly within these jurisdictions.
Several of the said immigration policies are expected to face legal challenges, particularly concerning the proposed end to birthright citizenship and the treatment of asylum seekers.
By Khagan Isayev