US officials who oppose immigration enforcement to face criminal probe

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WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has asked US prosecutors to investigate state and local officials who refuse to follow federal immigration laws, a move President Trump has made on his first day in office to tighten immigration controls. Increasing the

In a memo to Justice Department staff seen by Reuters, Trump’s acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bowe, wrote, “Federal law prevents state and local actors from complying with legal orders and requests related to immigration. forbids putting or otherwise failing.”

The policy comes as the new Republican administration prepares to step up illegal immigration policing in cities with significant immigrant populations, along with local authorities in so-called sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago. Setting up potential conflicts that limit cooperation with such efforts.

The new memo underscores how Trump’s Justice Department could seek to support his immigration agenda by increasing threats of criminal charges against immigrants or those who employ city and state government officials. It is the latest in a series of executive actions since Trump took office on Monday to tackle immigration, one of his top priorities.

Trump on Monday declared illegal immigration a national emergency, announced measures to help the U.S. military help with border security, enact a broad ban on asylum and limit citizenship for children born on U.S. soil. What did The military will send 1,000 additional active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, a U.S. official said Wednesday.

Trump also directed the attorney general to seek the death penalty against illegal immigrants who commit crimes that are punishable by death, such as murder.

The administration has rescinded Biden-era guidance that limited immigration arrests near sensitive places like schools and churches, and expanded the power of immigration officers to deport immigrants. Those who can’t prove they’ve been in the U.S. for more than two years have paved the way for their numbers to rise. Implementation

Trump has also taken aim at federal diversity programs, ordering agencies to put officials overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion programs on furlough until Wednesday and directing them to close their DEI offices by the end of the month. Close to the end.

The swift moves signal Trump’s intent to fulfill many of his culture war campaign promises by pushing the limits of executive power during his first term from 2017 to 2021.

Americans are sharply divided over Trump’s plans for mass deportations. In a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, 39% agreed with the statement that “illegal immigrants should be arrested and held in detention camps awaiting deportation hearings,” while 42% disagreed. No. and the rest were uncertain.

About 46 percent of respondents said they approved of how Trump is handling immigration policy, while 39 percent disapproved. Most respondents who supported mass arrests identified as Republicans, while most who did not were Democrats.

The poll, which surveyed adults nationwide on Jan. 20-21, found high levels of support for making it harder for people to enter the country. About 58 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that the U.S. should “dramatically reduce the number of immigrants claiming asylum at the border,” while 22 percent disagreed.

‘scare tactic’

According to the memo, state and local officials who resist or obstruct immigration enforcement could be charged under federal laws for defrauding the United States or harboring immigrants who are in the United States illegally. is If prosecutors choose not to file criminal charges after such an investigation, they would need to alert Justice Department leadership.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, dismissed it as a “scare tactic” during an interview on CNN on Wednesday.

“We are very aware of what the law requires us to do and what it allows us to do,” he said. “We know we don’t need to participate in immigration enforcement activities.”

Of the estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally or with temporary status in 2022, about 44% lived in states with refugee laws that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies. This figure does not include locations in sanctuary cities and counties that do not have a statewide law, such as New Mexico.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration abruptly fired four of the department’s senior career immigration officials from the Executive Office of Immigration Review, the office that runs the immigration courts, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Those removed include former office director Mary Cheng and Chief Immigration Judge Sheila McNulty, who were previously on a “bureaucrat watch list” by the conservative American Accountability Foundation, the sources said.

In Mexico, authorities have begun building giant tent shelters in the city of Ciudad Juarez in preparation for a possible influx of deported Mexicans.

Diversity programs were discontinued.

Trump has ordered all federal agencies to close their DEI programs, which are meant to promote opportunities for women, racial minorities, LGBT people and other traditionally underrepresented groups.

Civil rights advocates say such programs are necessary to address long-standing inequalities and structural racism.

Trump’s actions are a major setback for decades of efforts to ensure equality in federal jobs and contracts, as well as in many aspects of American life, and a chilling effect on diversity efforts that extend beyond the federal government. Can have an effect.

On Tuesday night, Trump rescinded a 1965 order signed by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson that prohibited federal contractors from discriminating in employment and ensuring equal opportunity based on race, color, religion and national origin. Therefore, affirmative action was prohibited.

Trump is seeking to block private companies that win government contracts from hiring workers from disadvantaged backgrounds — what the administration has called “illegal DEI discrimination and preferences” — and from government agencies. Said to identify private companies that may be subject to civil investigations.

Johnson’s order was seen as a breakthrough moment during the civil rights movement, coming at a time when black Americans faced the threat of violence and “Jim Crow” laws in which they They were forbidden to vote and live among their fellow citizens. 1900 Trump’s order will directly affect companies that fulfill more than $759 billion in federal contracts through 2023, as well as private companies.