Undocumented immigrants can be arrested at courthouses, DHS

Homeland security Spokesperson David Lapan confirms during a news media conference on Tuesday.

Illegal immigrants can now be arrested from courthouses, irrespective of the fact that they might be crime victims themselves. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson David Lapan told news media representatives that his officers have complete authority to apprehend undocumented/illegal aliens even from the courthouses.

“Just because they’re a victim in a certain case does not mean there’s not something in their background that could cause them to be a removable alien,” David Lapan said, The Washington Post reported. “Just because they’re a witness doesn’t mean they might not pose a security threat for other reasons.”

Otherwise, undocumented works have some immunity against deportation if they are victims of domestic violence or are witness to a crime scene.  Now, the department has come out clear that it would follow the rule in practice and will spare none.

Since January, President Trump have issued several executive orders to restrict foreign nationals to enter the United States. Enforcement agencies including DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately followed instructions and started conducting raids at workplaces and residences to check for undocumented aliens.

Although, some of Trump’s executive orders have been blocked by the US courts, but this has not completely halted DHS and ICE activities to forcibly pick and deport undocumented immigrants. For instance, Executive order 13780 Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States that suspends entry of nationals from Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, and Yemen for 90 days. As of now, the court has ordered the prohibition of only two sections, i.e. 2 and 6, of this order. Here is an excerpt from the executive order that Trump issued on January 27, 2017.

Sec.2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from foreign nationals who intend to commit terrorist attacks in the United States; and to prevent the admission of foreign nationals who intend to exploit United States immigration laws for malevolent purposes.

Sec. 6. Rescission of Exercise of Authority  Relating to the Terrorism Grounds of Inadmissibility. The Secretaries of State and Homeland Security shall, in consultation with the Attorney General, consider rescinding the exercises of authority in section 212 of the INA, 8 U.S.C 1182, relating to the terrorism grounds of inadmissibility, as well as any related implementing memoranda.

However, there were 11 sections in this executive order. The remaining nine remained active. For instance, Section 8 Visa Interview Security. The executive order has suspected the Visa Interview Waiver Program. Also, Section 9, Visa Validity Reciprocity. The order says that the Secretary of State shall now ensure that all non-immigrant visa reciprocity agreements are truly reciprocal with respect to validity period and fees.

“Notably, the remainder of Executive Order 13780 [excluding sections 2 and 6] is not affected by the injunctions, nor is the Presidential Memorandum issued the same day, and we will continue to enhance  the security of this nation accordingly,” testified Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday.

In sum, though there is a growing opposition against Trump administration’s clamp down on immigrants, the official resistance against undocumented immigrants has refused to give way to fairer means.