WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES.- The new president of the United States, Joe Biden, ha deported hundreds of immigrants in his early days in government, despite his campaign promise that he would stop expelling most people who have been illegally in the United States since the beginning of his term.
A federal judge ordered the Biden government a few days ago not to implement a moratorium on 100 days in deportations, But the decision did not require the government to schedule them.
In recent weeks, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported 15 immigrants to Jamaica, 269 to Guatemala and 131 to Honduras. While this week there will be more deportation flights.
LEA: ‘Coyotes’ use Biden to call people to emigrate
It is unknown how many of these people are considered threats to national security or public safety, or have recently crossed the border illegally, cases that are considered a priority under the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guidelines. acronyms in English) which came into force on Monday.
Some of the returnees may have been deported – a faster process than deportation – based on a public health order than the former president. Donald Trump invoke during the pandemic of Crown virus and that Biden has kept, despite his promises.
More than deported, expelled
In the border town of El Paso, Texas, immigration authorities deported a woman Friday who witnessed the massacre of 23 people at a Walmart in 2019. She had agreed to testify against the assailant and has met with local prosecutors, according to their lawyers.
MORE: US to migrants: Do not reach the border, the situation has not changed
The woman was stopped on Wednesday when she was driving because a brake light was not working on her vehicle; she was arrested based on prior traffic summonses, and then transferred to the ICE, which deported her before she could contact her lawyer, said Melissa Lopez, executive director of the nonprofit Migrant Diocesan & Refugee Services, which represents it.
On the day of her arrest, the ICE issued what is known as a “detention order,” in order to keep her behind bars for violations of immigration laws, according to police. ‘Pas county.
Government priorities
During the presidential campaign, both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were clearly opposed to the Trump administration’s immigration priorities.
“It’s important for President Biden and Vice President Harris to realize that despite their very clear wishes about the treatment of immigrants, we continue to see immigrants being abused and ignored locally,” Lopez said. .
+ Participate in the survey: What do Hondurans expect in the US from Joe Biden?
The ICE said Friday that it had deported people to Jamaica and that it did so in compliance with a court order last week. The agency did not respond to several requests for further comments on other deportation flights or on Rosa’s case.
Honduran officials confirmed that 131 people they were aboard a deportation flight that landed Friday. Another flight that arrived in Guatemala on Friday carried 138 people, and 30 more people are expected to arrive on Monday, local officials said.
Democratic Federal Representative Veronica Escobar, the district includes El Pas, said her office made her notice Rosa’s case at the White House.
“I am concerned that the ICE will continue to mobilize quickly before the Biden government has a chance to assess things and provide more guidelines,” Escobar said Monday.
Two law experts say that regardless of the judge’s order on the deportation moratorium, the ICE could release immigrants on deportation orders, keep people detained, or otherwise delay the deportation process.
“For the agency, scheduling deportations remains a discretionary issue,” said Steve Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law at Cornell University.
Federal District Judge Drew Tipton last week granted a Texas interlocutory injunction banning the application of a moratorium on 100 days in deportations which had come into force on 22 January.
Tipton said the Biden government had violated the federal Administrative Procedures Act by issuing the moratorium and had not demonstrated why it was necessary to pause.
Tipton said Friday that he will extend his order until Feb. 23. The Justice Department has not yet asked Tipton or a federal court of appeals to block the order.
Biden is expected to issue a series of immigration-related executive orders on Tuesday. It is estimated that these orders will include the formation of a special force to reunite separated families during the Trump administration.