President Donald Trump promised to set in motion his plan for mass deportations starting on his first day in office. But while he has begun to lay the legal groundwork to carry out the policy, it’s not clear that deportations are ramping up just yet — and they may not for a while.
Trump issued a flurry of executive orders designed to enable mass deportations during his first week in office. Those include directives to expand the use of fast-tracked deportations; decrease the number of immigrants apprehended at the border and released into the US; emphasize cooperation between federal immigration officers and local law enforcement; crack down on “sanctuary” cities and states that refuse to cooperate; and target cartels and members of international criminal gangs now designated as terrorist organizations.
The Trump administration also revoked policy guidance that barred immigration arrests at sensitive locations such as schools…