The Biden administration is removing the U.S. from agreements with three Central American countries that restricted migrants from seeking asylum at the southwest border. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that the administration notified El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras it will formally begin ending agreements that were part of Trump’s efforts to diminish asylum. The agreements, which have been on hold since the beginning of the pandemic, forced people seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to go to one of the three Central American countries and seek it there instead. Blinken said the Biden administration plans on working with Central American nations to address insecurity and poverty that leads people to flee to the U.S. The Associated Press
New ICE Rules Will Lead to Fewer Arrests and Deportations
ICE is getting ready to issue new guidelines to agents this week that could decrease arrests and deportations while the Biden administration attempts moves to increase its control over the agency. Temporary instructions were sent to senior officials to indicate there will be a major change in enforcement, but the plans are not final yet. So far, the rules indicate agents should not try to deport immigrants based on individual crimes, but instead focus on national security threats. Frustrated ICE officials said the proposal changes will disregard the agents’ discretion and restrict their ability to arrest and deport criminals. Agents who are trying to arrest fugitives outside of jails and prisons will need approval beforehand from the agency’s director in Washington. The Washington Post
How Biden Aims to Go Beyond Reversing Trump‘s Immigration Policies
Biden not only wants to reverse all of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies — he also says he plans on going beyond what the Obama administration did. So far, he signed three executive orders last week to help families separated during the Trump era, creating a task force to reunite 545 children with their parents. Biden also ordered an examination of Trump’s public charge rule, which jeopardized pathways to legal status for those who relied on government assistance. Immigration advocates were also thrilled that Biden called for a review of the asylum and naturalization process. “We’re not just rolling back back the Trump policies, which were at best superficial and ideological, but we’re going beyond the Obama administration,” said Thomas Saenz, president of Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The Hill
