By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday announced that it had rolled back Biden-era guidance that limited federal immigration arrests near sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals and churches.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman rescinded the order on Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said. Huffman also issued a directive limiting the use of "parole" that former President Joe Biden employed to allow hundreds of thousands of migrants to enter the U.S. legally on a temporary basis.
Trump, a Republican, issued a raft of executive orders on Monday that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration and advance his goal of deporting millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
Biden's administration issued guidance in 2021 that limited immigration enforcement near what they called "protected areas," superseding similar enforcement rules from 2011 and 2013.
Whether federal immigration officers and border agents would revert to the older guidance remained unclear.
"Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest," DHS said in a statement.
Schools, hospitals and churches around the country have raised concerns about Trump's mass deportation initiative, with some drafting their own plans for how to respond.
The DHS on Tuesday rescinded Biden-era limits on a fast track deportation process known as "expedited removal," allowing it to be applied to any immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, lack legal status, and cannot prove they have resided in the U.S. for at least two years.
Trump on Monday rolled back existing guidance for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers that prioritized serious criminals and broadened the scope of their enforcement, including targeting migrants with final deportation orders.
Trump's border czar Tom Homan has said ICE will focus on tracking down serious criminals but that anyone without legal status could be subject to arrest.