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Attorney General Jeff Sessions after touring the US-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona, on April 11 Ross D. Franklin/AP

This morning, Attorney General Jeff Sessionsvisited the US-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona, to announce a new get-tough approach to immigration enforcement, directing federal prosecutors to pursue harsher charges against undocumented immigrants. "For those that continue to seek improper and illegal entry into this country," Sessions said, "be forewarned: This is a new era. This is the Trump era."

In his remarks, Sessions said nonviolent immigrants who enter the country illegally for a second time will no longer be charged with a misdemeanorthey'll be charged with a felony. He also recommended that prosecutors charge "criminal aliens" with document fraud and aggravated identity theft, which carries a two-year minimum sentence. In January, President Donald Trump expanded the definition of which immigrants can be considered "criminal" to include anyone who has committed "a chargeable criminal offense," which could include sneaking across the border.

As he proposed stiffer penalties for nonviolent immigrants, Sessions also targeted gangs and cartels "that turn cities and suburbs into war zones, that rape and kill innocent citizens and who profit by smuggling poison and other human beings across our borders." Invoking unusually severe language in the written version of his announcement, Sessions proclaimed, "It is here, on this sliver of land, where we first take our stand against this filth."

In contrast to the dire picture Sessions painted, crime rates in American border cities have been dropping for at least five years. Even after a year of increased violent crimewhich officials said had nothing to do with cartels or spillover violenceEl Paso, Texas, is among the safest of its size in the nation.

Sessions also promised to hire 125 new judges to address a backlog of immigration cases and prioritized the prosecution of offenses such as assaulting immigration authorities and smuggling more than three undocumented immigrants into the country. He urged prosecutors to crack down on people who reenter the United States after being deported. "The lawlessness, the abdication of the duty to enforce our immigration laws, and the catch and release practices of old are over," Sessions stated.

Frank Sharry, the executive director of America's Voice Education Fund, an immigration reform advocacy organization, issued a rebuke of Sessions' statement. "Attorney General Sessions is grandstanding at the border in an attempt to look tough and scare immigrants. It's yet another example of the Trump Administration treating all immigrants as threats and as criminals."

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Jeff Sessions Announces a New Crackdown on Immigrants and "Filth" - Mother Jones

Albuquerque Business First

NM delegation tackles health care, immigration, education at ABQ chamber luncheon Albuquerque Business First New Mexico's Congressional representatives tackled the Affordable Care Act, the nation's tax code, immigration reform and education during a luncheon hosted by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce on Monday at the Sheraton Albuquerque ... and more »

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NM delegation tackles health care, immigration, education at ABQ chamber luncheon - Albuquerque Business First

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump's rhetoric onimmigration was anything but restrained.

Trump called some Mexican immigrants "rapists" and blamed others for taking jobs away from American workers. Still others he blamed for acts of terror. He promised to overhaul the U.S. immigration system and, in general, make it much harder to immigrate to the United States.

Now that he's president, Trump has sweeping authority to change the way the immigration system works.There are two big ways he can do that: through visas, and through deportation.

He's already begun working on both fronts.

One way Trump can make a major dent in the number of immigrants allowed into the country is by changing the process by which visas are issued. One of Trump's first acts as president was an attempt to greatly restricttravelvisas from seven Muslim-majority countries, a move that was struck down by the courts. A second version of the order also stalled in the courts. Nearly 60,000 visa holders were affected by the two orders, theLos Angeles Timesreported in February.

While those moves didn't work the way he'd planned, there are other ways Trump can restrict visas.

H-1B visas, for workers with specialized jobs, are a prime target. In early March, the administration announced changes to the H-1B program. First,computer programmerswill no longer be considered "specialized" workers eligible for H-1Bs. Second, the administration announced a six-month hiatus on "expedited processing," which allowed visa applicants to learn the status of an application 15 days after applying. Now, the process could take months.

The administration also said it will begin conducting site visits to companies that employ a large percentage of H-1B workers in order to ensure the program is not being "abused."

In a draft executive order published in Januaryby Vox, the Trump team laid out further steps it could take on immigration, including ending the Dreamer program and turning away immigrants who are poor.

The other way Trump can reduce the number of immigrants is by deporting them. And, like his predecessor, BarackObama(under whose administration more undocumented immigrants were deported than any other, earning him the nickname "Deporter-in-Chief" from critics), Trump is doing just that.

While it's still too early to say whether Trump is on track to out-deport Obama, signs indicate that he's more gung-ho about expelling the undocumented than his predecessor was.

First, Trump is ramping up the number of government employees responsible for carrying out deportations. The administration plans to increase the numberof Border Patrol agents by about a quarter and the number of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement personnel by 80%.

Trump has also said his administration won't treat any class of immigrants for example, those who came to the United Statesas children as exempt from deportation.

The Obama administration claimed it prioritized deporting undocumented immigrants who had committed crimes, but data didn't bear that out. Trump would continue that policy.

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Immigration Reform 2017: Two ways the Trump administration is ... - Mic

April 9, 2017 3:34 PM

Protesters march through downtown Dallas for immigration reform. (Chopper 11)

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) Several thousand people marched through the streets of downtown Dallas Sunday for immigration reform.

Immigration Reform Mega March in Dallas. (Chopper 11)

Known as Immigration Reform Mega March, people brought signs and waved American flags in what wasa peaceful protest.

The Dallas Police Department estimated between 3,000 and 4,000 people marched through downtown. There were also no reported incidents or arrests.

The last Mega March in 2006 brought together about 500,000 people which was the largest civil rights march in Texas history.

Organizers of the march expected a crowd of about 100,000 people during final preparations last week.

The march started at theCathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe on Ross Avenue at around 2:00 p.m.

Marchers stopped at Dallas City Hall where various activists, including Martin Luther King III, spoke to the crowd.

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Dallas Mega March For Immigration Reform Attracts Thousands - CBS DFW

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Federal immigration policies no longer fit todays America, a legal advocate said during a justice for immigration and refugee program todayin the gymnasium at Rosary Cathedral.

Eugenio Mollo, Jr., a managing attorney for the Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc., works to protect immigrant workers rights, with an agricultural focus.

While immigration laws have been updated in apatchwork system, the federal law which established first quotas was created more than 60 years ago.

Were a different country than we were in the 1950s, we look different, our families are different, our economy is different, we have different business needs. We need some sort of comprehensive immigration review, Mr. Mollo said.

The Catholic Churchs mission to help those in need also was stressed during todays program.

It needs to be led by our faith, said Director of Multicultural Ministries Carlos Castaeda.

A similar presentation will be given by Mr. Mollo atToledo Smart School on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

The rest is here:
Attorney urges federal immigration reform - Toledo Blade