Donald Trump is quickly laying the groundwork to begin deporting millions of migrants. After authorizing raids on churches, schools and hospitals and firing the judges responsible for overseeing the 71 federal immigration courts, his administration has ordered federal prosecutors to investigate any state or local official who stands in the way of enforcement. of the immigration measures of the new Administration. These last two measures add to the avalanche of decrees that the Republican has signed since his inauguration on Monday and fuel fear that arrests and expulsions will begin at any moment.
The massive immigration raids were expected to begin on Tuesday, the first full day of Trump’s new presidency, because the Administration itself had announced it before the inauguration. The arrests were going to start in Chicago, Illinois, and would extend throughout the country, the border czar and Trump’s faithful advisor on immigration matters, Tom Homan, had assured. But, as of Wednesday morning, those plans had yet to materialize. What has materialized is the legal and political framework with which Trump will implement his immigration plan.
In its latest threat, the Trump Administration has demanded that the Justice Department take “all necessary measures to protect the public and secure the U.S. border by expelling illegal immigrants from the country and prosecuting them for crimes” committed under U.S. jurisdiction. In a three-page memo addressed to the department’s entire staff Tuesday night, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructs that cases in which state and local officials obstruct or impede functions be investigated for possible criminal charges. federal.
“Federal law prohibits state and local agents from resisting, obstructing or otherwise failing to comply with legal orders and requests related to immigration,” Bove assures in the document to which EL PAÍS has had access. “Incidents involving any such misconduct will be investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office and the litigation components of the Department of Justice for possible prosecution.”
With more than 115,000 employees, the Department of Justice plays an essential role in enforcing federal immigration laws and the Administration’s immigration policies. The Trump Administration is aware of this and has placed the federal agency at the forefront of its agenda. The document leaves no room for doubt: “It is the responsibility of the Department of Justice to defend the Constitution and, consequently, to legally execute the policies for which the American people elected President Trump,” maintains Bove.
To that end, the memo instructs all units of the department — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — to search their files information and biometric data to identify people who are in the country irregularly. These data must be delivered within a period of 60 days to the Department of Homeland Security for use in their deportations.
The document also refers to the so-called sanctuary cities, cities that by law do not collaborate on immigration matters with the federal government. Without explicitly mentioning them, Bove does point out that any law or action that impedes the efforts of federal agencies on immigration matters, “including prohibiting state and local officials from disclosing information to federal immigration officials, threatens public safety.” and national security” and, therefore, can be challenged by the department. Trump already threatened these localities with legal, criminal or civil action in one of the more than 40 executive orders he signed his first night in office.
