FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2017
CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, [email protected], 213-375-3149
Statement on Leaked DHS Memo Proposing National Guard Mobilization for Immigration Enforcement
WASHINGTON — Media reports on Friday revealed that the Trump administration may be considering draconian and expensive immigration enforcement measures, including mandatory detention, rushed court proceedings, a rollback in protections for unaccompanied children apprehended at the border, construction of new detention facilities and a border wall, and the enlisting of National Guard troops as immigration enforcement agents.
Kamal Essaheb, policy and advocacy director at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:
“For a month now the Trump administration has terrorized our communities with a chaotic and inhumane reimaging of our immigration system. The Muslim ban rollout, widespread raids, and the arrests of a domestic violence survivor and immigrant youth have created a climate of fear in our communities like never before. We don’t need to see the implementation of this leaked memo to understand the xenophobic and nativist vision driving the administration’s immigration policies.
“The leaked memo contemplates a virtual police state for millions of Americans. It would entail an unprecedented, legally dubious expansion of a failed program, 287g, that federal courts have found sets the groundwork for racial profiling. And it would roll back legal protections and deny due process and other civil rights to people seeking refuge from violence and extreme poverty.
“That the administration would even consider such reprehensible measures is unacceptable, and it will certainly continue to stoke fear in our immigrant communities until DHS Secretary John Kelly provides clarity. We call on Kelly to immediately and categorically disavow the contents of this leaked memo.”
# # #
Know Your Rights: What to Do if You Are Arrested or Detained by Immigration
Jan 31, 2025 This Know Your Rights resource provides general information on what to do if you are stopped, arrested, or detained by immigration or other law enforcement. Originally published in December...
NILC Statement on Trump Expansion of Immigrant Detention at Guantanamo
Jan 29, 2025 Raha Wala, vice president of strategy and campaigns at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s announcement ordering the expansion of immigrant detention at Guantanamo...
Warrants & Subpoenas: What to Look Out for and How to Respond
Jan 28, 2025 This factsheet clarifies immigration enforcement and subpoena powers and what to do in response to receiving an immigration warrant or subpoena.
Conozca Sus Derechos: Ampliación de la Deportación Acelerada
Jan 24, 2025 El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional amplió el uso de un proceso llamado "deportación acelerada." Estos cambios son efectivos del 21 de enero de 2025.