A significant enforcement policy shift is now altering immigration operations. The Department of Homeland Security is changing its strategy. DHS will reportedly focus on serious criminal convictions. This move follows negative polling on recent ICE raids. Federal agents will target specific individuals for arrest. This enforcement policy shift moves away from large-scale operations. Teams under Commander Gregory Bovino will implement this change. They will prioritize immigrants convicted of serious offenses.
Consequently, this reduces emphasis on broad workplace raids. Past operations occurred at stores like Home Depot. Agents also targeted areas like car washes frequently. Critics argued these sweeps used problematic characteristics. Those characteristics included ethnicity, accent, or language. The new directive aims to refine enforcement targeting. However, traffic stop enforcement will continue as usual. Yet, street-level apprehensions will likely decrease significantly.
Furthermore, this reported change aligns with shifting public opinion. Support for mass deportation policies has recently fallen. A new Public Religion Research Institute survey shows this. Approval for handling immigration dipped to thirty-three percent. A separate YouGov poll also confirms this trend. It found majority opposition to recent ICE operations. Another survey noted immigrant fears about their safety.
Meanwhile, Border Patrol conducted raids in several major cities. Those cities included Los Angeles and Chicago recently. These operations prompted numerous protests and lawsuits. Legal challenges scrutinized the tactics as overly broad. The new enforcement policy shift addresses these concerns directly. The “Catahoula Crunch” operation in New Orleans continues however. Agents there have already made hundreds of arrests. The Department of Homeland Security aims for thousands more. This updated approach seeks more precise enforcement actions.
