According to the agency, the deportation moratorium will allow the United States to make sure it has a “fair and effective immigration system”.
Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary David Pekoske signed a memorandum on Wednesday, pausing deportations of non-citizens for 100 days starting on Friday.
“For 100 days, starting January 22, 2021, DHS will pause removals for certain non-citizens ordered deported to ensure we have a fair and effective immigration enforcement system focused on protecting national security, border security, and public safety”, the memo said.
“Throughout this interim period DHS will continue to enforce” US immigration laws, according to the memo.
The move comes after US President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders to undo Donald Trump’s legacy during his first day in office on Wednesday, inking documents regarding immigration, climate change, racial equity, and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with NBC News in November 2020, then projected President-elect Biden pointed out that when in office, he first and foremost would concentrate on changing the country’s immigration laws.
Biden is also expected to extend protections for the so-called “dreamers” and rescind Donald Trump’s travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries using his executive authority.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) acting chief Mark Morgan, for his part, warned that Biden’s intent to ditch Trump’s plans to build a border wall on the nation’s southern border could cost the country’s taxpayers “billions of dollars”.
He explained that a little over half of the planned 800 miles (1,287 kilometres) of the wall had already been constructed and that contracts for the construction of the remaining 350 miles (563 kilometres) had already been signed.
The US president signing immigration orders comes a few days after some members of a caravan of Honduran migrants agreed to return to their country after clashes with Guatemalan security forces on Tuesday. This followed a Biden transition team official reportedly saying that the Honduran migrants “need to understand they’re not going to be able to come into the United States immediately”.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
