Trump’s battle against illegal immigration

President Donald Trump, along with his Cabinet, has always wanted to reduce immigration. Although his government has substantially restricted legal immigration, most notably after the massive Coronavirus outbreak in North America, his main focus has been to curb illegal immigration.

To meet this goal, the Trump administration:

• Hired more than 10,000 ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) employees.
• Increased operations conducted by ICE within the US to detain undocumented immigrants, mainly those who have criminal records or pending legal charges and could pose a threat to the local population.
• Increased surveillance at the borders.
• Financed the construction of the border wall that separates the US from Mexico.
• Narrowed possibilities for undocumented immigrants to obtain legal permits in the US.

In the opinion of the Trump administration, foreigners who decide to cross the borders without prior authorization should not have the possibility to request documentation to work and legally reside in the US, regardless of whether they are adults or minors.

That is why DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) has faced multiple legal processes during the term of Donald Trump, who has tried to remove it from benefits offered to undocumented immigrants in the country.

Do you need to request your legal documentation in the US? Contact Motion Law Immigration and follow the advice of our experienced attorneys.

The legal battle to protect DACA

In 2012, the Obama administration implemented DACA, which protects undocumented immigrants from deportation for two years, who crossed the US’ borders without prior authorization when they were minors.

Since it is a benefit that protects undocumented immigrants, the Trump administration used every tool at its disposal to remove DACA from the local immigration system. However, after multiple complaints and legal processes, which even reached the Supreme Court of Justice, a New York court ordered the Trump administration, in early December, to restore DACA as it was in its beginnings. That means that the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) had to receive new applications and renew existing permits for two years.

The Trump administration had not allowed new DACA applications since 2017. Thus, the court’s order was extremely positive and hopeful news for DACA recipients and those who meet mandatory requirements, but have been unable to submit their applications due to current restrictions.

The USCIS approves first DACA applications in years

After the Brooklyn court ruling, the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) had to present evidence regarding the new DACA applications received, as well as approval and rejection figures for applications sent by young immigrants, also known as “ Dreamers ”.

According to figures provided by DHS, USCIS approved 171 DACA applications between December 14 and January 1, 2021, and 369 were rejected because applicants did not meet the mandatory requirements. In less than 20 days, the USCIS received a total of 2,713 DACA applications.

Although DACA is currently facing another legal challenge that could lead to the cancellation of the program, the fact that the Trump administration followed the New York court’s order is undoubtedly a door of hope for more than 600,000 Dreamers protected by this immigration benefit. Adding to that, President-elect Joe Biden, who will take office on January 20, promised to protect DACA recipients, which is also hopeful news for immigrant communities in the US.

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If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

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