To Align With President Trump’s Policy, Immigration Officials Get More Leeway To Start Deportation Process

The Trump administration has expanded the list of categories for which immigrants can be sent before immigration judges to start deportation procedures against them.

Measures announced Thursday by the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will tighten the Department of Homeland Security’s controls on immigrants, affecting not only undocumented foreigners but legal immigrants who lose their immigration benefits or status.

The change is tied to Notices to Appear, a document issued to non-citizens instructing them to appear in immigration court. The NTAs normally mark the start of deportation procedures.

A USCIS announcement said its officials will issue NTAs for a broader range of cases such as fraud, criminal activity or when an applicant is denied an immigration benefit.

“For too long, USCIS officers uncovering instances of fraudulent or criminal activity have been limited in their ability to help ensure U.S. immigration laws are faithfully executed,” said agency director L. Francis Cissna in a statement.

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