The Trump administration has a new way to get tough on illegal immigration. It will now arrest undocumented immigrant parents who are believed to have paid smugglers to bring their children into the US illegally.
Initiating cases for the deportation of unaccompanied immigrant minors caught at the border, often brought there on purpose by smugglers, can take immigration officials months or even years. Meanwhile, the youngsters are often placed with their parents or other relatives who arrived in the US earlier to establish a foothold and earn enough money to send back to their families at home. Despite being undocumented, until recently, those immigrants have not been priorities for arrest.
John Kelly, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, signed a memo back in February, promising to start penalizing those who pay smugglers to bring their offspring into the US illegally. It said that the agency was obliged to ensure that those conspiring to violate the country’s immigration laws would not get away with it. Arrests have now started, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deputy secretary, Jennifer Elzea.
Parents or relatives may face jail time and criminal charges of smuggling in some instances, while in others they will be placed in deportation proceedings together with their children. The administration claims that the move will deter families from the risks of putting their children through dangerous journeys in the hands of human smugglers.