Multiple 2020 Democrats have voiced interest in or support for a freeze on deportation of illegal immigrants, a move that immigration expert Jessica Vaughn said would effectively put an end to border enforcement.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), and former Obama administration official Julián Castro have all backed either suspending deportations or dismantling detention facilities for those caught crossing the border. In fiscal year 2019, a wave of unauthorized immigrants at the southwestern border led to what U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has called a “humanitarian crisis.” Loosened enforcement would likely exacerbate this situation, according to Jessica Vaughn, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.
“A moratorium on deportations would cause chaos in the immigration system and prevent ICE from removing even the worst of the worst criminal aliens that are the bulk of its case load,” Vaughn told the Washington Free Beacon. “The result is basically open borders.”
Speaking Friday at a forum hosted by the Latino activist group Mijente, Warren said that she is “open to suspending deportations, particularly as a way to push Congress for comprehensive immigration reform.” She added that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “focusing on people who do not pose a threat” and does not “make this country safer.” – READ MORE