Federal immigration authorities will be allowed to raid schools and churches after President Donald Trump rescinded a directive that banned arrests in “sensitive” areas.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it would reverse the policy, “law enforcement in or around so-called sensitive areas.”
First enacted in 2011, the directive prohibited Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants at multiple locations.
An ICE agent with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) watches as Guatemalan police investigate the scene after the arrest of a suspected human trafficker in Guatemala City on May 29, 2019.
John Moore/Getty Images, FILE
Schools and houses of worship were considered off-limits, as were hospitals, funerals, weddings and public demonstrations.
In a statement announcing Tuesday’s move, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said law enforcement would use “common sense” to make the arrests.
“This action empowers the brave men and women of CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and apprehend criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have entered our country illegally,” the spokesman said.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the statement continued. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our law enforcement officers, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
