Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Biden Administration Deportation Guidance; ICE Shifts Policy to Allow More Immigration Arrests After Judge’s Ruling; Agents are Blocked from Using Discretion in Deportation Arrests, and related stories

ICE shifts policy to allow more immigration arrests after judge’s ruling:

Immigration officials will no longer prioritize arresting migrants who are believed to be national security threats, after a federal judge ruled that Homeland Security agents should not focus on a narrow segment of people suspected of being in the United States illegally.

The change comes after Judge Drew Tipton, a Trump-appointed U.S. District Court judge in Texas, ruled on June 10 that the Biden administration’s policy was illegal after Texas and Louisiana, both Republican-led states, filed suit with claims that it prevented federal laws from being enforced.

Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement can now arrest anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally after federal officials agreed to comply with the ruling that tossed out the policy, which was set late last year.

The Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency for ICE, shifted its deportation policy in September when DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas prioritized the arrest of only undocumented immigrants believed to be a national security threat.

DHS is appealing the decision but announced Saturday that ICE agents would now make arrests on a case-by-case basis, effectively putting all undocumented immigrants at risk of arrest and potential deportation. —>READ MORE HERE

Agents are blocked from using discretion in deportation arrests:

A Biden administration policy that prioritized the arrest of immigrants living in the country illegally who are considered a threat to public safety and national security has been suspended as of Saturday, rendering millions of people vulnerable to deportation.

A federal judge in Texas had ruled the prioritization policy illegal June 10, a ruling that took effect late Friday after a federal appeals court failed to issue any decision blocking it. The Department of Homeland Security said it effectively had no discretion under the ruling to set priorities for how its agents enforced the nation’s immigrant removal laws.

“While the department strongly disagrees with the Southern District of Texas’ court decision to vacate the guidelines, DHS will abide by the court’s order as it continues to appeal it,” the department said in a statement.

It said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis “in a professional and responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement officials and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland.”

The court order leaves the government in an unusual situation. Recent administrations have set at least some priorities establishing which immigrants living in the country without legal permission should be targeted for removal, in most cases trying to identify people who have committed crimes or who pose some other threat before moving on to others. The Trump administration significantly broadened the range of immigrants identified for deportation, but even then, there was some guidance to target criminals, legal experts said. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to relevant/related stories:

+++++Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Biden Administration Deportation Guidance+++++

Biden suspends rules limiting immigrant arrest, deportation

Biden administration halts limits on ICE arrests following court ruling

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