OPINION VARIES AS TO WHETHER IMMIGRATION DEPORTATIONS ARE INCREASING

In a report issued in mid-May, Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported that during the first several months of the Trump Administration, arrests of people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally increased by more than a third, while the portion of arrests involving people without criminal records increased to 26% compared to 14% in the same period a year earlier.  However, it should be noted that the earlier year reflected a significant drop off in enforcement by the Obama Administration, as enforcement was so strict during the early years that the immigration activists dubbed President Obama the "deporter-in-chief," but the enforcement was dramatically reduced during President Obama’s second term. 

Despite the rhetoric from the Trump Administration, new Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggests the Administration will not target aliens who have not committed crimes beyond illegally entering the country.   Further, the Administration appears to be moving to increase the cap of foreign seasonal workers this summer to about 130,000, from a previous level around 66,000.  These are the H-2B visas typically used by amusement parks, the lodging industry, landscapers and others to bring in temporary employees.