Since President Donald Trump took office, the federal government has taken sweeping action to send back criminal aliens over the southern border.
Images of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents making arrests are circulating social media and causing alarm among communities.
In Mobile County, an internal memo within the county school system caused alarm after a teacher shared a "to-do" list on shielding students from agents. The unauthorized letter has been rescinded, but misconceptions have already been developed.
Retired Homeland Security agent Angelo Fermo of Baldwin County cleared up rumors and explained the political push behind them.
Fermo said Trump was making right on his campaign promise to get rid of criminals here illegally. However, he said the idea that the feds are planning to bust up schools and raid homes to take children from their mothers is false information.
"That's the left media pushing these scare tactics on these communities," Fermo claimed. "From my 20 years of experience with immigration issues, the main thing we were focusing on is you're looking for the criminal immigrant in the community."
"There agencies are not actively out there targeting these children or these women and stuff because that in itself creates a whole mess of problems," he added.
Fermo said the only immigrants targeted for deportation are criminal immigrants, and in most cases, they've been deported previously and continue to come to the United States to commit crimes.
"What I'm seeing right now is actually a more aggressive approach than in the past with the immigration, but I see that they have to do it because of the open border policies that we've had for the last four years," Fermo said. "It's just kind of been unheard of."
"The former administration was just letting them in at mass rates and just processing them through as quick as they could and releasing them into the interior," he continued. "So, what you're seeing now is them having to double their efforts."
Fermo said children will likely be present during some law enforcement operations because ICE is not always aware of how many children a person has and when they will be around children. However, he is unaware of any school or church raids planned by the federal government.
"They're looking for the criminal immigrants, but you're going to have your encounters, like if an officer stops somebody for speeding or drinking and driving and a child is with them," he explained. "I mean, that's just the way the system runs and how it is."
DHS says the Trump administration's efforts are already paying off at the Mexican border. Border Patrol encounters decreased by 35% within the first three days of Trump's inauguration.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning or become a member to gain access to exclusive content and 1819 News merch.
