The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, emphasized on Tuesday during a press conference that individuals become "criminals by definition" when they enter the United States illegally.
After being questioned by journalists about those individuals detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who have no prior criminal records, the 27-year-old spokesperson clarified that Trump's immigration policy will not differentiate between illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes and those who have simply entered the country irregularly.
“If an individual enters the United States illegally, by definition, they are a criminal, and therefore subject to deportation. Drug traffickers, rapists, murderers [...] those should definitely be a priority for ICE, but that does not mean that illegal criminals entering our nation's borders should be off the table,” Leavitt stated.
The spokesperson reiterated that the U.S. government considers entering the country without authorization to be a crime.
“I know the previous administration did not see it that way, so it is a significant cultural shift in our nation to see someone who violates our immigration laws as a criminal. But that is exactly what they are,” he stated.
"All of them (have a record), because they illegally violated the laws of our nation. And, therefore, they are criminals with respect to this administration," said Trump's press secretary.
The multiple arrests and deportations that began when Donald Trump returned to the presidency in the United States have created uncertainty among thousands of undocumented individuals living in the North American country.
Despite the fact that the Republican leader had promised to focus on the expulsion of "violent criminals," his administration has made it clear that all migrants in irregular situations— a federal offense in the U.S.— will be considered criminals and subject to deportation.
Leavitt's words come after Colombia's Chancellor, Luis Gilberto Murillo, stated that the 201 deported individuals who arrived in Bogotá on Tuesday have no pending issues with the law, either in Colombia or in the United States, and that "they are not criminals."
Trump's threats to carry out mass deportations have put him at odds with several governments in Latin America, from which most of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States are believed to originate.
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