00:00Illegal immigration is atop President Donald Trump's campaign promises and working agenda.
00:05And high on the deportation list are convicted felons, some 1.3 million of them identified
00:11and those considered security threats.
00:13VOA's Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the full story.
00:19The Trump administration began deporting hundreds of migrants with criminal records last week
00:24who are in the United States illegally.
00:27Deporting undocumented migrants without criminal records isn't off the table, said Border
00:33Czar Tom Homan during an interview Sunday on ABC's This Week Show.
00:38Right now it's countering public safety threats, national security threats, that's a smaller
00:42population.
00:43So we're going to do this on a priority basis as President Trump's promise, but as that
00:46aperture opens, there will be more arrests nationwide.
00:49On Tuesday, restrictions were removed for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs
00:54and Border Protection agents to carry out immigration enforcement in sensitive places
01:00like churches, schools and hospitals.
01:03Homan said such arrests would be carried out on a case-by-case basis.
01:08ICE officers should have discretion to decide if a national security threat or a public
01:13safety threat is in one of these facilities, then there should be an option for them to
01:16make the arrest.
01:17The Trump administration's immigration warnings and approach were criticized by Democratic
01:22Senator Elissa Slotkin.
01:24I think that's more of a signal to try and keep people from coming to the border, trying
01:29to get in, and it's part of this transition that they're not quite into yet between campaigning
01:36and governing.
01:37The U.S. military has been tasked by President Donald Trump with aiding border security.
01:43U.S. military planes are already being used for deportations, but the military's role
01:49should remain in line with the Constitution, Senator Slotkin pointed out.
01:54According to our Constitution, you can go in supporting roles, logistics, driving, setting
02:00up facilities, setting up border locations, whatever.
02:03It's very different when you cross the line into law enforcement.
02:07Some 1,500 active duty military troops began arriving at the border with Mexico last week,
02:14and their numbers could go up in the coming days.
02:18And said Sunday, the troops' presence sends a, quote, strong signal to the world our border
02:25is closed.
02:26Veronica Valderas Iglesias, DOJ News, Washington.
