John Kelly, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, promised on Thursday that there will be no mass deportations from the US and also that the country will not use the military to enforce immigration laws. The promise came as senior officials in the Trump administration tried to allay concerns from Latin America about the new crackdown on immigration revealed by President Donald Trump.
Kelly made the comments in Mexico City, following a meeting with Mexican officials alongside Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. He added that all deportations from the US would be carried out respecting the legal system and human rights in general, including giving those faced with deportation the chance to launch appeals. Kelly says that the approach taken by the US will be implemented with close coordination with the government of Mexico.
Kelly reiterated that there would be no military involvement with immigration enforcement and mass deportations from the US would also not take place. The opposite was suggested just a few hours earlier by President Trump, who called the deportation of ‘bad dudes’ from the country a ‘military operation’ during a meeting at the White House with the CEOs of manufacturing companies.
Nations in Latin America, including Mexico, have been edgy over the new US plan to remove millions of undocumented immigrants, many of them from Mexico, from the country. Tillerson says that the US and Mexico remain committed to negotiating through disagreements despite recent disputes.