Statement from the American Immigration Council on Leaked DHS Memo on Border Security

Washington, D.C. - A leaked memo from Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to leadership at Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) discusses implementation of the President’s January 25, 2017 Executive Order on Border Security. The memo calls for the expansion of detentions and deportations, the hiring of more Border Patrol agents, the use of State National Guards, the building of a border wall, and the creation of new barriers for asylum seekers, among other provisions.

The following is a statement from Beth Werlin, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council.

“The leaked memo would strip children of procedural protections, disregard the fact that many new arrivals are seeking protection here, and require DHS officers to detain nearly everyone they apprehend, with very little discretion to release them, even for humanitarian reasons.  And for the first time, people throughout the country – not just those at the border – would be subjected to expedited deportation without going before a judge.  It also envisions calling up State National Guards to join in these roundup efforts.

“These policies do not accurately reflect the America I know and love. This Administration’s policies, thus far, are punitive, impractical, and will serve only to tear apart local communities and destabilize the economy.  They peddle in fear and ignorance. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect our immigrant communities, and promote policies that respect the dignity of all individuals and seek to capitalize on the power and innovation that immigration brings to our country.”

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