Just 49 days into his Presidency, US Head of State Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants to get rid of undocumented immigrants, more so the ones with criminal records.
According to information from Fox News, the White House is putting 23 countries on notice that if they refuse to take back their citizens who are in to US illegally and who have committed crimes, ‘there is going to be trouble.’
Countries including Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, India and China were outlined as “recalcitrant and non-cooperative” in wanting to reportedly take back their “illegal/criminal” immigrants.
The Trump administration says those countries could loose access to Visas, among other things, Fox News outlined.
President Trump was quoted as saying “the day is over when they can stay in our country and reek havoc, we are going to get them out and we are going to get them out fast. Our order also does the following, ends the policy of catch and release at the border, requires other countries to take back their criminals, they will take them back.”
There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US.
Over the weekend, news broke that Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly signed new guidelines empowering federal authorities to more aggressively detain and deport illegal immigrants inside the United States. Immigrant rights advocates reacted with fear and outrage.
The administration sought to allay their concerns during a conference call with reporters, where White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that the new guidelines would not usher in “mass deportations”, but were designed to empower agents to enforce laws already on the books.
Fox’s William La Jeunesse said that there are 3 kinds of “criminal aliens”, those that who are in jail, those let go by sanctuary cities and those released because their home country wont take them back.
According to La Jeunesse over 60,000 “criminal aliens” are out free because their countries wont take them back. He said that the “state department could retaliate or threaten to cut off their aid which runs into the hundreds of millions, but the last two Presidents refused to enforce the law, only once did the state department do so…that was with Guyana back in 2001 and they immediately took their people back.”
While it is difficult to obtain information on the number of Guyanese deported, it is estimated that since the creation of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), back in 2001 more than 3,500 Guyanese have been removed from the United States, a majority of which reportedly possessed a criminal background.
President David Granger had last year said that Guyana does not have the capability and the resources to manage a large number of deportees.
However, he later acknowledged that it is within the jurisdiction and the rights of the United States to deport those who have committed crimes in order to minimize the impact of violence and abuses in the country.
According to the BBC, while former US President Barack Obama aggressively enforced immigration law and ramped up deportations in some areas and at some times, there were notable instances where he de-emphasised action.
Donald Trump’s immigration order however, “marks a sharp break with those Obama-era policies. Instead – according to the Department of Homeland Security implementation memos – the Trump administration essentially will “prioritise” the deportation of almost all undocumented immigrants, everywhere” says the BBC.
In the Trump era, immigration authorities are now being given the power to ‘make a sea-to-sea, border-to-border push.’
The bottom line, says La Jeunesse, is that Donald Trump on this Diplomatic issue is not going to be Diplomatic.
Anyone in the United States illegally should be sent home regardless of their status. They broke our laws coming here illegally. ILLEGALLY MEANS ILLEGALLY