WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The will soon be , an opportunity to reset immigration agenda or to double down on his signature campaign promise to conduct in American history.
The White House’s political director recently encouraged party lawmakers during at the Republican president鈥檚 golf club in Florida to focus on immigration enforcement against criminals, a pivot from the he ran on. said the aggressive operations have created a 鈥渉iccup鈥� for the party, which is now embarking on a 鈥渃ourse correction.鈥�
Yet all indications are that Trump鈥檚 mass deportation operation is not stalling out but intensifying, with to hire Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, build and meet the administration鈥檚 goal of some 1 million immigrants from the U.S. this year.
鈥淲e are at an interesting moment where it has been an inflection point 鈥� the public has finally seen what mass detention and mass deportation mean,” said Sarah Mehta, who tracks the issue at the American Civil Liberties Union.
“This is not an agency that鈥檚 slowing down,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e really going forward with some of the cruelest policies.鈥�
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the president’s policies have sent immigrants out of the U.S., either through forced deportations or on their own, and sealed up the U.S.-Mexico border.
鈥淣obody is changing the administration鈥檚 immigration enforcement agenda,鈥� she said.
Senators ready to grill Trump’s DHS nominee over deportations
The questions put Homeland Security at a crossroads. is on , and Trump鈥檚 nominee to replace her, , appears this week for Senate confirmation hearings.
After the intense and other cities 鈥� and the deaths of at the hands of officers 鈥� Democratic lawmakers are unless the department changes its policies.
At the same time, those who believe Trump won the White House with his mass deportation agenda are disappointed the administration did not achieve its goals last year and insist he must do better.
鈥淭here has been a lot of talk in Congress and now in the White House about kind of backing away from President Trump鈥檚, candidate Trump’s, mass deportation promise,鈥� said Rosemary Jenks, co-founder of the Immigration Accountability Project, which argues for deportations.
鈥淲e believe that now is an opportunity,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e’ve got to get the deportation numbers up.鈥�
A nation of immigrants no longer?
The debate is playing out as the United States, , squares its founding as a nation of immigrants with images of masked federal agents breaking car windows and detaining people suspected of being in the U.S. without proper legal standing.
The Congress, controlled by Republicans, provided some $170 billion in last year’s tax cuts bill to fuel the effort, more than tripling the budget of ICE.
GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, in a fiery speech, fought back against the Democrats’ proposed restraints. 鈥淭his question about deporting illegal immigrants was on the ballot. President Trump was not bashful,” he said. 鈥淎nd the American people supported the idea that we are going to deport people.鈥�
Yet there are signs of cracks in the Trump coalition. Some Republicans prefer what one called a more humane approach and are sharing their views with Mullin.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., considered a stalwart against illegal immigration, said in his state it鈥檚 immigrants who milk most of the dairy cows, and he鈥檚 heard from restaurant groups that rely on immigrants to fill jobs.
鈥淐an we just turn back the clock and have these all these people who came in here illegally, just be back home?鈥� he asked.
鈥淚n terms of actually implementing that, it鈥檚 a lot tougher 鈥� particularly, in fact, when you realize a lot of these people, most of them, came here to seek opportunity, wanting freedom,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e working, supporting their family, contributing to organizations and community.鈥�
Mass deportation group wants more
The Mass Deportation Coalition, a group of conservative organizations including the and , founder of the security firm Blackwater, was formed recently to keep the administration on track.
It calls last year’s focus on removing violent criminal immigrants 鈥減hase one鈥� and says 鈥減hase two鈥� should focus this year on deporting immigrants beyond those with violent criminal histories.
Mark Morgan, who served as acting head of ICE and Customs and Border Protection during Trump鈥檚 first term and is part of the coalition, said that doesn鈥檛 mean roving patrols through Home Depot parking lots. It’s about strategic enforcement focused on immigrants at worksites, those who have overstayed visas and who a judge has already ordered removed, he said.
But they鈥檙e facing opposition from within the Republican Party, Morgan said, particularly from those who want to narrow deportation to mainly criminals and from business groups that want to ease up on worksite enforcement.
鈥淭he Republicans that are saying that their definition of targeted enforcement is only criminal, they鈥檙e wrong. They鈥檙e on the wrong side of this,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why you see some of the base that鈥檚 really becoming apoplectic because they鈥檙e like, ‘Wait a minute. You鈥檙e talking about only removing criminals now?’ That鈥檚 not what you promised,’鈥� Morgan said.
What’s coming next
The deportation advocates as well as those working to protect the rights of immigrants see that the Trump administration鈥檚 best chance at reaching its goals is creating an environment so unwelcoming for immigrants that they just leave 鈥� what’s often called self-deportation.
Mehta, at the ACLU, expects the administration will step up efforts to end temporary permissions that allow immigrants to remain in the U.S. 鈥� particularly refugees and asylum-seekers 鈥� while their cases are making their way through the system. She called it a 鈥渄eliberate attempt to make people undocumented 鈥� to take away lawful status 鈥� and then to be able to enforce against them.鈥�
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said he fears more nonviolent immigrants will be rounded up to fill the new warehouses being equipped as the Trump administration tries to reach its deportation goals.
That’s unacceptable, he said, and among “the key questions that Senator Mullin will have to answer at his confirmation hearing.鈥�
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