The U.S. government plans to deploy immigration agents to the southern border to stop undocumented migrants attempting to voluntarily travel to Mexico for Christmas and New Year, U.S. media reported on Wednesday.
The operation will include inspections by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including on commercial buses, according to The Huffington Post, citing an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo.
The memo details that individuals with criminal records and those without will be treated differently. The former will be "processed according to their current immigration cases," suggesting they could be detained and referred for formal deportation proceedings.
Through a spokesperson, DHS told EFE that it does not comment on future operations. "It is common sense that we must know who is entering and exiting our country," the spokesperson added. "Under the Trump administration (...), DHS has secured our borders and ports to ensure that no undocumented immigrant enters or leaves the United States without proper inspection."
The Trump administration has been promoting "self-deportation" or voluntary departure for undocumented migrants.
Through a mobile app called CBP Home, the Republican administration offers migrants a payment of $1,000.
