WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security issued a pair of directives Monday to enact aspects of the executive orders on immigration President Trump signed on his first day in office.

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman rescinded a Biden administration guideline that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from allowing law enforcement near schools, hospitals, places of worship and other so-called sensitive areas.

What You Need To Know

  • The Department of Homeland Security issued a pair of directives Monday to enact aspects of the executive orders on immigration President Trump signed on his first day in office

  • Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman rescinded a Biden administration guideline that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from allowing law enforcement near schools, hospitals, places of worship and other so-called sensitive areas

  • He also restricted the use of humanitarian parole — a system for foreign nationals to temporarily enter the United States because of an emergency or urgent humanitarian reason

  • Huffman’s directive says humanitarian parole will be granted on a case-by-case basis and orders ICE and CBP to phase out parole programs the DHS says do not follow the law

He also restricted the use of humanitarian parole — a system for foreign nationals to temporarily enter the United States because of an emergency or urgent humanitarian reason. The Biden administration granted humanitarian parole to Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in 2021 and 2022 and to nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela in 2023.

Huffman’s directive says humanitarian parole will be granted on a case-by-case basis and orders ICE and CBP to phase out parole programs the DHS says do not follow the law.

“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense.”

Immigration and border issues were a major focus of the Trump presidential campaign. On Monday, hours after he was sworn in as president, Trump began to make good on his promises, signing executive orders declaring a national emergency at the southern border, reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy that requires asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico until their claims are processed and ending a program that allows immigrants who entered the country illegally to remain in the country while their asylum cases are processed.

He also signed orders to renew construction of the southern border wall, suspend refugee resettlement and deploy the U.S. military to the border.