US President Donald Trump's administration announced on Tuesday that it had reversed a Biden-era directive that banned federal immigration near sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals and churches.
US Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman suspended the order on Monday, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said. Huffman also issued a directive limitation use “parole” that former US president Joe Biden was hired to allow hundreds of thousands of immigrants to enter the US legally on a temporary basis.
Trump, a Republican, tweeted a series of action orders Monday that aims to stop illegal immigration and its goal of deporting millions of immigrants in the US illegally.
The Biden administration issued guidance in 2021 that limited immigration enforcement near what it called “protected areas,” replacing similar enforcement rules from 2011 and 2013.
It was unclear whether federal immigration officials and border agents would return to the old guidelines.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest,” DHS said in a statement.
Schools, hospitals and churches across the country have raised concerns about Trump's massive deportation campaign, with some drafting their own plans for how to respond.
Trump on Monday rolled back existing guidelines for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials that prioritized serious criminals and expanded the scope of their enforcement, including target migrants with final export orders.
Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, has said that ICE will focus on finding serious criminals but that anyone without legal status could be arrested.