Washington: White House border czar Thomas Douglas Homan said the Trump administration would intensify immigration arrests and deportations, including in New York, as he defended the removal of people who have no criminal history but are living in the United States illegally.
Homan said federal immigration authorities had completed the first phase of an enforcement operation in New York and Long Island, resulting in 2,200 arrests.
“And it’s not over,” he told reporters during a press gaggle at the White House. “So you see more arrests in New York.”
Homan said immigration enforcement remained a priority for the administration ahead of the midterm elections. He argued that President Donald Trump had been elected partly because of his promise to carry out mass deportations.
“Yes, that’s why President Trump was elected President,” Homan said. “If you look at ICE numbers, record amount of arrests, a record amount of removals.”
He said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had successively broken arrest records during the summer.
“Bottom line is June, ICE broke an all-time record. July, they broke that record. In August, they broke a whole new record,” Homan said. “They’re arresting people with record numbers.”
Homan said the administration had achieved those numbers despite court challenges to its immigration policies. He claimed more than 100 nationwide injunctions had been filed and more than 85,000 habeas cases were pending.
“Despite the attacks from the left and the radical judges, we’re still breaking records,” he said.
Homan also faced questions about whether immigration agents would arrest parents near schools, churches or hospitals.
“We have not arrested anybody at school,” he said. “No one’s been arrested at a church. No one’s been arrested at a hospital.”
But he left open the possibility of enforcement actions in such locations when authorities were pursuing people considered threats.
“If you’re a significant public safety threat, national security threat, there is no sanctuary,” Homan said.
A reporter repeatedly questioned him about the reported arrest of a father near a school bus stop in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Homan said he was not familiar with the case and had asked ICE to examine it.
Asked whether someone who had lived in the country for 20 years, had a teenage daughter and possessed no criminal record would be considered a threat, Homan said such a person would not be a national security or public safety threat without relevant intelligence or a criminal history.
But he added: “Are they removable? Yes. If we find them, would they be removed? Absolutely.”
Homan also addressed the administration’s plan to equip ICE agents with body cameras. He said cameras were being deployed but could not confirm whether every agent had received one.
“I think mostly are deployed, not all deployed. But there’s a plan for it,” he said, blaming delays on a government shutdown that he said had held up funding.
On Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador, Homan said any decision on extending the protection rested with the Homeland Security Secretary. He nevertheless made clear that he supported ending programmes after conditions in designated countries improved.
“TPS, temporary protection status means temporary,” he said. “I’m glad they’re finally sticking to what the statute says temporary means temporary.”
Temporary Protected Status was established by Congress in 1990. It allows eligible nationals of designated countries to remain and work in the United States temporarily when armed conflict, natural disaster or other extraordinary conditions make a safe return difficult.
(IANS)
