Sessions Details Immigration Policy Changes
Departing from Obama’s policy of lax enforcement, Sessions outlines robust enforcement policy changes.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions went to Arizona this week to spend some time visiting the U.S.-Mexico border as well as to give a speech in which he highlighted parts of the Justice Department’s plan for further tackling the problem of illegal immigration. Sessions referred to the border as “ground zero” in the fight against criminal aliens. Sessions said, “Transnational gangs like MS-13 and international cartels flood our country with drugs and leave death and violence in their wake.” He continued, “It is here that criminal aliens and the coyotes and the document-forgers seek to overthrow our system of lawful immigration.” Sessions then warned, “For those that continue to seek improper and illegal entry into this country, be forewarned: This is a new era. This is the Trump era. The lawlessness, the abdication of the duty to enforce our immigration laws, and the catch-and-release practices of old are over.”
Sessions then outlined five areas of change from Barack Obama’s immigration enforcement policy. These changes include cracking down on individuals who illegally transport and harbor illegal aliens, increased punishments for those found illegally crossing the border, tougher sentencing on repeat-offenders, adding fraud and identity theft where possible, and implementing greater protections for border enforcement agents via prioritizing the prosecutions of those illegal aliens accused of assaulting a “federal law enforcement officer.”
On that note, Fox News reports, “The cartel member suspected of shooting and killing Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in 2010 with a gun supplied by the U.S. government was arrested in Mexico Wednesday.” Terry was murdered by an assailant with a weapon that was supplied to Mexican drug cartels by Obama’s “Fast and Furious” scam.
Donald Trump is clearly committed to keeping his promise of making dealing with illegal immigration a top priority. The issue is one of the major reasons he was elected in the first place. Recent news reports showing a significant decline in illegal immigration since the election are validating many Americans’ vote, as well as Trump’s choice of Sessions to lead the Justice Department.
