NEW YORK – Immigration advocates in New York are expressing outrage and alarm over proposed plans by the incoming Donald Trump administration to revoke a United States federal policy that has restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from arresting Caribbean and other immigrants at or near ‘sensitive locations’, such as houses of worship, schools and hospitals without prior approval from supervisors. On Wednesday, immigration advocates said it is believed Trump is expected to repeal this policy as early as his first day in office, on January 20, 2025, alongside a series of other immigration policy changes set to be implemented.

“Cruelty, not public safety or security, is Trump’s objective,” Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organisation that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).  “By directing attacks on immigrants to sensitive locations like schools, churches and hospitals, he shows a callous disregard for vulnerable children and the public safety of every New Yorker,” added Awawdeh, leader of one of the largest and most diverse newcomer populations in the United States.  Moreover, he said this policy change will have a “chilling impact on immigrant families, who may fear sending their children to school or accessing the services they are entitled to and need to keep their families healthy. (Jamaica-Gleaner)

Photo: Trump had campaigned on conducting mass deportation of immigrants, if re-elected to a second term.