President Trump Considering Extension of Strict Coronavirus Border Security Policies

President Donald Trump is considering an extension of protocols deterring illegal immigration enacting during the coronavirus national emergency, according to new reports from the New York Times.

A draft proposal to extend temporary restrictions on illegal travel was published on Wednesday. “I am extending the duration of the order until I determine that the danger of further introduction of Covid-19 into the United States has ceased to be a danger to the public health.

Immigration enforcement agencies such as Customs and Border Patrol have been enforcing rules that strictly deter illegal immigration under Title 42 of the U.S. code during the national emergency. The law authorizes the agency to “expel” illegal border crossers in a prompt fashion, with the agency remarkably expelling 80% of illegal immigrants to arrive in the month of April in under two hours.

The border enforcement policies during the coronavirus emergency are likely the most strict that the federal government has ever utilized in decades, contributing to a deterrence of illegal immigration that has required nearly a hundred thousand less “enforcement actions” than the agency took in April of 2019. The population of federal immigration detention facilities has also declined considerably, with only 150 people detained by the government in April.

Enforcing a strict border security policy that works around the byzantine and convoluted immigration court system may ultimately prove to be in the national interest for the long-term. A trial run of the approach could be the first step towards codifying a no-tolerance approach for illegal immigration after the pandemic is over.

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