President-elect Donald Trump will rescind a policy that prohibits Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from performing arrests at or near sensitive locations such as schools and churches, NBC News reported.
The policy, which was implemented in 2011 under former ICE Director John Morton, was in effect during the first Trump administration and during the Biden administration. It prevents ICE agents from conducting arrests in or near houses of worship, schools, hospitals, and events such as funerals. Agents were still able to make arrests at those locations under certain conditions, including an imminent risk of death or physical harm.
Trump reportedly plans to make the change on his first day in office, according to sources who spoke to the news network on the condition of anonymity.
Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, rebuked the plan in a statement to NBC News, noting that the policy was put in place to benefit immigrants and the community.
"Immigration enforcement has always required a balance. In the past, Presidents of both parties have recognized that merely because it may be lawful to make arrests at hospitals and schools doesn't mean it's humane or wise public policy," Gelernt said.
"We don't want people with contagious diseases too scared to go to the hospital or children going uneducated because of poorly considered deportation policies."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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