Not a headline to set the world on fire, but it happens to be what it’s about!

What’s going on?

As you can read here, the Trump administration released new guidelines regarding how it intends to enforce Trump’s recent executive orders against undocumented immigrants. The administration is essentially trying to downplay fears that it is going to engage in mass roundups and deportations of undocumented immigrants. Members of the undocumented immigrant community and their advocates are understandably skeptical of these assurances.

Why is it important?

After the clusterfuck of the Muslim travel ban, the administration is trying to avoid looking bad when it comes to enforcing Trump’s edicts. It’s possible they will take a more cautious, measured approach–but there’s no reason to count on it. Trump’s administration has already moved forward on deporting people who haven’t committed any violent or drug-related crimes, such as Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos. He is removing people who have been in this country for decades and whose only crimes have been related to seeking employment while undocumented. There is little reason to take the administration’s reassurances seriously in light of what’s happened so far.

What can I do?

The best advice I can give is probably: remain vigilant. The administration might say they plan to enforce carefully and with more discretion, but they would have to build up a much more convincing track record for anyone to take that seriously.

Be aware that helping undocumented immigrants may be treated as a criminal act. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that. Know the risks.

As always, further developments will be reported here as I learn of them.

Photo by Fibonacci Blue