The POTUS administration is currently in the process of drafting a deportation plan, that specifically targets minors from Central America, who arrived at the southern border without adult company.
According to McClatchy’s sources, Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ mission is to avoid creating a new class of protected undocumented immigrants. Taking into account how difficult it has been for the current administration to cover the political expense of deconstructing DACA, the Justice Department hopes that this plan will expedite the deportations of over 150,000 children, who fled the poverty and violence of their home countries (El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala) by the time they turn 18.
A large number of these children arrived to the country when they were 15 back in 2014, meaning that most of them are already or will soon be 18. This means that they would be immediately affected by this policy that is still under consideration, and that allows the government to deport these kids without having to use an immigration judge as an intermediary first.
“This administration still has its hands somewhat tied with what it can do with that population,” claimed the McClatchy source, that is familiar with the discussions of this policy. “Because the law, especially for the children, doesn’t give the administration a lot of flexibility with how to deal with unaccompanied children.”
The Justice Department along with Homeland Security, are currently drafting this proposal via memos, which have sparked debate among the staff of both departments. The government lawyers are concerned about the legal exposure that could leave them vulnerable to political controversy.
“This is being viewed as a way to say that there will not need to be a new DACA,” said a McClatchy’s source. “But this is far from decided. The concern is that most people at DOJ know this will likely be viewed as illegal and do not want to have to defend this in court if they can avoid it.”
As of now, the Justice and Homeland Security departments, have not commented on any of these claims. A U.S. official claims that the administration priorities have not changed.
“The Trump administration’s commitment to securing the southern border remains the same,” claimed the U.S. official. “All Americans deserve responsible immigration reform, which will include massive border security and border enforcement.”
In 2008, a measure for minors from Canada and Mexico who arrive at the U.S. border was drafted. This measure instructed officials to promptly deport the kids back to their country of origin, but this does not apply for Central American children, who arrive under different circumstances and are often more vulnerable. These kids were most of the time placed in the custody of the Health and Human Services Department in the Office of Refugee Resettlement, who placed them with relatives in the U.S., sponsors or in shelters across the country.