News / Politics

US immigration agency halting enforcement amid coronavirus crisis

Thursday, 19 March 2020 3:08 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 19 March 2020 3:09 AM ]

People are seen as they walk through the parking lot as they visit the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office on March 13, 2020 in Miramar, Florida. (AFP photo)

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is delaying arrest of foreign nationals as the country struggles with the coronavirus crisis.

ICE officials announced on Wednesday that agents would temporarily postpone most arrests due to the pandemic to "ensure the welfare and safety of the general public as well as officers and agents.”

"For those individuals who do not fall into those categories, [ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations] will exercise discretion to delay enforcement actions until after the crisis or utilize alternatives to detention, as appropriate," ICE said.

The agency’s continued operations despite calls for social distancing gave immigration activists the chance to campaign for a halt in the arrests of people the Trump administration considers illegal aliens.

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More than 45 organizations signed a letter this week, calling on the Department of Homeland Security to suspend such actions.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has, meanwhile, called on the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to release prisoners, who are vulnerable to COVID-19.

The ACLU urged Attorney General William Barr and BOP Director Michael Carvajal in a letter to “take immediate action to safeguard” the prisoners.

“The same social distancing principles guiding public and private sector responses should guide the BOP’s response and ensure that its facilities do not unnecessarily bring people into confined spaces that may lead to greater exposure to coronavirus,” the letter reads. “Deliberate action must be taken to meet the responsibility to ensure the health of those incarcerated in the federal system.”

The Trump administration has been cracking down on immigrants, refugee seekers, and generally people from the more vulnerable walks of life. The White House is currently facing criticism over its poor response to the fast growing endemic.

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