The administration of US President Donald Trump, who took office on Monday, has instructed federal prosecutors to prosecute local administrators who do not cooperate with his anti-immigration policies, Reuters reports.
In a memo seen by the news agency, Trump’s deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, wrote to Justice Department officials that local authorities should “cooperate in addressing immigration” and that federal prosecutors should “investigate incidents involving indicate misconduct for possible criminal prosecution.”
The call seems intended, among other things, for administrators of cities such as New York and Chicago that have large migrant populations, but do not want to cooperate with Trump’s deportation policy.
Trump also signed on Wednesday evening decrees to stop and turn away migrants at the southern border of the United States, the White House reports. He orders the relevant ministries “to take all necessary measures to immediately reduce, repatriate, and remove illegal aliens at the southern border of the United States.”
He is also sending 1,500 extra soldiers to the border with Mexico. Trump had previously declared a state of emergency for the border area and ordered the military to help with border security.
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Trump threatens local officials who do not cooperate with his anti-immigration policy with prosecution