President Donald Trump’s administration has directed U.S. prosecutors to criminally probe state and local officials who resist immigration enforcement efforts, intensifying a sweeping crackdown that Trump launched the day he took office.
In a memo to Justice Department staff seen by Reuters, Trump’s acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, wrote, “Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing or otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests.”
The policy was issued as the new Republican administration prepares to step up policing of illegal immigration in cities with significant migrant populations, setting up potential confrontations with local officials in so-called sanctuary cities such as New York and Chicago that limit cooperation with such efforts.
The new memo underscored how Trump’s Justice Department may try to back his immigration agenda by expanding threats of criminal charges beyond immigrants or those who employ them to city and state government officials. It is the latest in a series of executive actions since Trump took office on Monday to combat immigration, his top priority.
Trump declared illegal immigration a national emergency on Monday, tasking the U.S. military with aiding border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum and taking steps to restrict citizenship for children born on American soil. A U.S. official said on Wednesday the military would dispatch 1,000 additional active-duty troops to the Mexico-U.S. border.
Trump also instructed the attorney general to seek capital punishment against illegal immigrants who commit crimes such as murder that are potentially punishable by death.
The administration has rescinded Biden-era guidance limiting immigration arrests near sensitive places, such as schools and churches, and expanded immigration officers’ power to deport migrants who cannot prove they have been in the U.S. for longer than two years, paving the way for increased enforcement.
Trump has also taken aim at federal diversity programs, ordering agencies to put officials overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion programs on leave by Wednesday and directing them to shut down their DEI offices by the end of the month.
The swift actions signal Trump’s intention to fulfill many of his culture-war campaign promises by pushing the limits of executive power even further than he did during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021.
Americans are sharply divided on Trump’s plans for mass deportations. A new Reuters/Ipsos survey showed 39% agreed with a statement that “illegal immigrants should be arrested and put in detention camps while awaiting deportation hearings,” while 42% disagreed and the rest were unsure
Some 46% of respondents said they approved of how Trump was handling immigration policy, compared with 39% who disapproved. Most respondents who backed mass arrests identified as Republicans, while most who did not were Democrats.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
