Washington Post
Here’s where things stand heading into day 34 of the Trump administration:
A new front has emerged in the battle over President Trump’s immigration policy given his plan to ramp up enforcement against undocumented immigrants.
Over the weekend, news broke that Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly signed new guidelines empowering federal authorities to more aggressively detain and deport illegal immigrants inside the United States. Immigrant rights advocates reacted with fear and outrage.
The administration sought to allay their concerns Tuesday during a conference call with reporters: A senior official with the Department of Homeland Security said the measures are not intended to produce “mass deportations” and will take time to implement.
But given Trump’s harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric from the campaign trail, immigrant rights groups and Democratic lawmakers are still on alert.
The new guidelines called for the “hiring of thousands of additional enforcement agents, expanding the pool of immigrants who are prioritized for removal, speeding up deportation hearings and enlisting local law enforcement to help make arrests,” our colleague wrote.