U.S. immigration authorities are going to be restricting from carrying out arrests and other enforcement actions. These would be at hospitals, schools, and a range of other “protected” areas. This will be for a new policy issuing recently by the Department of Homeland Security. 

U.S. Immigration Policy is Now in Effect

Effective immediately is the policy. That is going to apply to both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Custom and Border Protection Agents. They are going to receive the updated training.

Immigrants and Essential Services and Activities

In fact, they are going to be prohibiting uniformed personnel from making arrests. Thus conducting searches and serving subpoenas at the areas where the immigrants did “receive or engage in the essential services or activities.” This is according to a memo about the policy.

Protected Areas

In fact, this list of “protected areas” did include schools and university campuses, hospitals and other medical facilities. Also at Covid-19 testing, and vaccination sites. Also, there are places of worship and sites where children gather, such as the playgrounds and daycare centers, the memo said. 

Other areas include shelters for homeless people and victims of domestic violence, drug, and alcohol treatment facilities, and food pantries. Immigration enforcement is also restricting at or nearby funerals, demonstrations, and parades, according to the memo. 

If there is an existence of a national security threat, therefore, there are arrests in these areas are going to be allowing in specific circumstances.

Recently, Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement immigration authorities have to “consider the impact” that is where the enforcement actions could take place. Therefore, it would have an effect on people’s “broader societal interests.”

“The law enforcement mission can be accomplishing without the process of denying individual access to needed medical care. Plus have the children access to their schools. Moreover, there is displacing access to food and shelter, also people of faith access to their places of worship, and more,” Mayorkas said. “Thus to adherence to this principle which is the foundation of our stature as public servants.” 

The Biden administration is responsible for the new policy and their latest move to, in fact, narrow the enforcement power of U.S. immigration authorities.