Washington, DC – Immigrant rights groups have said they are digging in their heels and preparing for a protracted fight as the blueprint for United States President Donald Trump’s vast immigration crackdown takes shape.In a series of rapid-fire orders during his first week in office, Trump has sought to overhaul nearly every aspect of US immigration.
He rescinded guidance limiting where immigration raids can take place, cancelled asylum claims at the southern border and grounded refugees already approved for entry into the US, as part of a wider suspension of the US refugee programme.
Though widespread arrests have yet to materialise, immigration rights advocates on Friday said Trump has already caused mayhem for those seeking refuge in the US and sent a chill among immigrant communities already in the country.
“Costly, cruel and chaotic are the words that characterise the wave of extreme policies that the Trump administration has unleashed in its efforts to purge immigrants from our country,” Vanessa Cardenas, the executive director of the advocacy group America’s Voice, said during a call with reporters. Advertisement
“The chaos and fear is the point.”
‘Unprecedented powers’
After a campaign defined by dehumanising rhetoric about migrants and asylum seekers, Trump took his second oath of office on Monday, pledging immediate changes to the US immigration system.
His administration has already issued over a dozen executive orders and policy changes establishing hardline policies.
On Friday’s call with reporters, Nayna Gupta, the policy director for …