We have seen many changes in US immigration protocol since the Trump Administration came to power. These changes have affected young people through the cancellation of DACA, and more immigrants through the loss of prosecutorial discretion.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions just had his Remarks to the Executive Office for Immigration Review published today.
Sessions placed the blame for the US immigration problems firmly on the shoulders of “smart attorneys” who create “fraud and abuse in our asylum system” and “exploite(d) loopholes in the law, court rulings, and lack of resources (so they could) substantially undermine the intent of Congress,” specifically through the abuse of the system set up for asylum seekers.
The Department of Homeland Security has begun implementing Trump’s Executive Order entitled “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” issued by the President on January 25, 2017. While the language in the memo seems to target Parole in Place, according to the BBC news they were contacted by spokeswoman from the Department of Homeland Security that said it is still a functioning program.
Another quicksilver change in immigration policy is happening, based on a proclamation issued by Trump on Sunday evening. A mix of travel restrictions, and outright bans are being placed on eight countries, most – but not all – of which are Muslim. These new restrictions replace the parts of the controversial March 2017 travel ban that had expired on Sunday night…
Dreamer Applications (also known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) have been in the news a lot lately, with President Trump’s administration talking about ending the program, but now also claiming they will preserve the close to 800,000 youth currently protected by the program in the United States.