Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the Trump administration’s new immigration rules a “mass deportation plan,” and said Democrats would oppose it and “continue fighting for what is right.”
Schumer, D-N.Y., said Trump’s revised order directs immigration agents “to round up and quickly deport anyone who is undocumented.”
The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday issued new rules for deporting illegal immigrants that prioritize the removal of serious criminals but also sweep in illegal immigrants convicted of any offense. The rules say that while there is prioritization for deportation, there are very few exceptions on the question of who may be deported.
“We can all agree that violent criminals should be removed, but it is outrageous and unacceptable for ICE to target or arrest innocent immigrant families contributing to our nation and working to achieve the American Dream,” Schumer said in a statement. “This is a waste of limited resources, disrupts our economy, does nothing to keep us safe, and makes everyone a target, causing panic within the immigrant community.”
