Trump administration expands deportation priorities

Memos released Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) broadly expand the number of people living in the United States illegally who can be considered a priority for deportation. The memos signed by Secretary John Kelly do not change U.S. immigration laws but take a harder line toward enforcement by including those suspected, charged, or convicted of any crime, including minor offenses. Enforcement under the Obama administration focused on illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes, who were threats to national security, or recent boarder crossers. One of Kelly’s memos also describes plans to enforce a long-standing but obscure provision of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act that allows the U.S. government to send some people caught illegally crossing the Mexican border back to Mexico, regardless of their country of origin. The DHS directives do not affect President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, although immigrants in the program will face deportation if they commit a crime or otherwise are deemed to be a threat to public safety or national security, according to the DHS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.