Seeking to enforce his promise to deport millions of migrants who entered the US illegally, President Donald Trump on Tuesday threw out policies that restrict customs agents from making arrests at so-called “sensitive locations,” including churches and schools, the Associated Press reports.

“This action empowers the brave men and women in [Customs and Border Protection] and [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the AP quoted the Department of Homeland Security as saying in a statement Tuesday.
The former federal policy prohibited ICE from carrying out enforcement actions at schools without a criminal warrant. Various jurisdictions around the country have local laws and ordinances to safeguard schools. The Chicago school board, for example, passed a resolution in November prohibiting school officials from assisting ICE in immigration enforcement. Therefore, ICE agents are not allowed into Chicago Public Schools unless they have a criminal warrant.
The AP quoted a spokesperson for the Fresno Unified School District in California as making similar assurances to students and families there: “Our policy is clear and strong that immigration enforcement is not allowed on our campuses unless forced through a valid court order,” said Diana Diaz. “We’ve been in communication with local law enforcement, who has assured us that they will not be supporting immigration enforcement across any of our schools.”
But a battle is shaping up if local government or school officials intend to resist federal immigration action.
“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands,” wrote Emil Bove III, the Justice Department’s acting deputy attorney general and a former member of the president’s criminal defense team. Federal officials “shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution,” he wrote, according to a New York Times article about the scope of enforcement action Mr Trump has ordered.