Following the slew of anti-immigrant executive actions announced on inauguration day, the Trump administration spent its first week in office upending the lives of refugees and immigrants and shuttering vital programs that had extended a lifeline to people seeking safety.
“For this administration, cruelty and chaos are the point,” Kate Jastram, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) said today. “On Monday Trump banned asylum at the border and suspended overseas resettlement, leaving tens of thousands of refugees, including wartime allies, stranded in danger at our nation’s doorstep and across the globe, and doing even more harm to our reputation abroad. His administration is now targeting our refugee and immigrant neighbors, threatening fast-tracked deportations, greenlighting raids on schools and hospitals, and betraying our government’s promise to people already granted permission to enter the United States.”
These policies include:
Fast-track deportations of people with legal parole status: On Thursday evening news broke that the administration intends to fast-track deportations of people who entered the United States through temporary parole programs designed to protect people fleeing danger and reunite families. These will target people screened into the United States through the CBP One appointment process; Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans admitted through the “CHNV” program; and young people admitted to rejoin their families through the Central American Minors (CAM) program.
Raids on hospitals, schools, and other sensitive locations: This week the administration reversed long-standing guidance prohibiting immigration enforcement activities in certain sensitive locations, including hospitals, schools, and domestic violence shelters. This guidance was designed to ensure community members could access basic services and take care of their families and children without fear.
Stop work order for legal service providers: On Wednesday the Department of Justice issued a stop work order abruptly suspending legal access programs that help immigrants and people seeking asylum understand their rights, find legal counsel, and navigate our complex immigration court system. Obstructing these vital services ahead of planned large-scale raids and mass detention will leave families, children, and adults vulnerable to due process violations and inject even more chaos into the immigration process.
Shutdown of Safe Mobility Offices: On Thursday we learned the administration would be shuttering its Safe Mobility Offices in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala. This program had permitted individuals to apply and be screened for refugee resettlement, family reunification, and other immigration pathways, without necessitating a journey to the U.S. southern border.
Amid this onslaught, it is encouraging that a federal judge put a temporary pause on Trump’s attempt to rewrite the Constitution and do away with birthright citizenship. CGRS stands with people seeking safety and immigrants and will do our part to defend their rights in the weeks and months ahead.