Letter to the Hon. Thomas D. Homan, Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Seeking Meeting with Immigration Officials, Answers about Constituents' Concerns about Raids, Immigrant Roundups

Letter

We write to express concerns about the detrimental impact the Trump administration's new policies for immigration enforcement operations are having in communities across New Mexico.

As you know, the previous administration deported record numbers of undocumented immigrants in the country. However, they used Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) limited resources to focus on removing individuals who were violent criminals, felons, and others who posed a threat to national security.

The Executive Orders (EO) issued by President Trump on January 25, 2017, significantly expand the scope of ICE's removal priorities and divert resources away from focusing on violent individuals and serious security threats. The President's EOs aggressively ramps up immigration enforcement against individuals who pose no threat to the nation and make innocent immigrants deportation priorities. The EOs also call for tripling the number of ICE agents and add thousands of new Border Patrol agents - despite the lack of funding available to do so.

Perhaps most troubling, the EOs impose draconian federal funding cuts on local communities who refuse to comply with the administration's policies and coerces local law enforcement to serve as de facto immigration enforcement agents. These policies are already causing significant problems in our local communities, as immigrants no longer feel safe reporting crimes to local police out of fear of being deported.

Given the limited resources ICE has, the administration should not be prioritizing hardworking immigrants who are contributing to our nation and looking to make a better life for themselves and their families. Moreover, President Trump must not take any actions to remove Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients or their families. These individuals came forward based on the promise that our government would not deport them and provided personal information about themselves and their families. To use this against them would be an unconscionable breach of trust by our government.

We are already hearing from our constituents that ICE is expanding enforcement activities and innocent people no longer feel safe in their own neighborhoods.

Given the impact of the administration's new enforcement priorities on New Mexico, we request a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss these issues and to determine a path forward that reinstates a humane and sensible immigration policy.

Prior to that meeting, please provide our staffs with the following information:

1. What specific changes has ICE implemented in New Mexico to comply with President Trump's EOs?

2. Will ICE commit to not conducting enforcement operations at locations where people are seeking necessary care or services, such as schools, churches, hospitals and court houses?

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

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