During an interview broadcast on Tuesday’s “CBS This Morning,” DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen stated that if Congress can’t strike a deal on DACA, DACA recipients who are registered and haven’t committed a crime will not be an enforcement priority for ICE.
Nielsen said that if a DACA deal is not struck, “It’s not going to be a priority of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize their removal. I’ve said that before. That’s not the policy of DHS.”
She added, “If you are a DACA [recipient] that’s compliant with your registration, meaning you haven’t committed a crime, you in fact are registered, you’re not a priority of enforcement for ICE should the program end.”
Nielsen further added that this policy would be “in perpetuity. But of course, that means you can’t commit a crime. And we will enforce the law.”
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