“National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is dismayed by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) memos implementing President Trump’s recent executive orders, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” and “Border Security and Immigration Enhancement Improvements.” These memos represent a sea change in how the nation’s immigration enforcement agencies, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), treat undocumented immigrants, putting more than 11 million individuals at-risk for imprisonment and deportation.

“Most strikingly, CPB and ICE agents are now instructed to arrest and initiate deportation proceedings for every undocumented immigrant they encounter, as opposed to previous policy, which prioritized undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes. Further, CBP agents will be able to deport individuals to Mexico, whether or not they are from Mexico, and the memos mandate that undocumented individuals be detained in newly built prisons along the border, instead of being released on parole until their cases are heard. Yet another harmful policy shift allows ICE officials to prosecute the parents of undocumented, unaccompanied minors in some circumstances.

“These changes are devastating for undocumented individuals and families. They make it nearly impossible for people who are undocumented to seek medical care, education, security, or basic services without fear of arrest and deportation — eroding their basic human dignity and threatening their lives. We are all of equal worth, regardless of our immigration status. NCJW denounces these egregious measures, and urges the Administration to remember that this nation was founded on the values of tolerance and openness. We must ensure that our communities remain welcoming toward immigrants and all those seeking better lives in the United States.”

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