The Donald Trump administration is considering dramatically expanding the Department of Homeland Security’s powers to expedite deportations of “illegal immigrants.”
The administration has proposed a new policy that would empower the DHS to speed up deportations of those immigrants who cannot prove they have lived in the US continuously for more than 90 days, The Washington Post reported, citing a 13-page internal agency memo.
Since 2004, the department has been authorized to bypass immigration courts only for those who have lived in the US illegally for less than two weeks and have been apprehended within 100 miles of the border.
Citing two administration officials, the Post said the new proposal, which would not require congressional approval, is under review.
DHS spokeswoman Joanne F. Talbot, however, described the new guidelines as a draft–not a memo–saying no final decisions have been made by Homeland Security Secretary John F….