Bet for DOJ ‘could influence immigration’
WASHINGTON—As a senator, Jeff Sessions became Congress’ leading advocate not only for a cracking down on illegal immigration, but also for slowing all immigration, increasing mass deportations and scrutinizing more strictly those entering the United States.
As attorney general, he’d be well positioned to turn those ideas into reality.
Immigration laws are enforced by other agencies, but the Justice Department plays a crucial role in setting the policies and legal underpinnings that shape the system.
And if Donald Trump sticks with his campaign promises, immigration will be a top priority for his administration.
As the nation’s top law enforcement official, Sessions could execute maneuvers to limit which nationalities the US would accept as refugees and to reverse a federal policy that protects young people from deportation.
“The President has the clear power to suspend immigration to protect America,” Sessions said during the Republican convention when he was discussing the threat of terrorism and the need to scrutinize refugees more closely.
The fourth-term Republican from Alabama was the first senator to support Trump’s candidacy, and he helped shape Trump’s positions on immigration. Sessions favors limiting the number of refugees coming into the US and turning away children who arrive at the border alone who are attempting to reunite with families living in the US.
Attorney General’s power
The attorney general can direct federal prosecutors to boost the number of criminal cases brought against immigrants caught crossing the border; guide legal opinions to defend executive actions; prioritize hiring more judges for federal immigration courts; overturn key decisions made by a federal immigration appeals panel and challenge the legality of state immigration policies. “The attorney general has a lot of power when it comes to immigration,” said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor at Cornell law school.
“He has a seat at the table when important decisions are being made.”
One of the most important legal opinions on immigration that came out of the Justice Department in the past eight years defended the Obama administration’s policy of formally shielding immigrants who arrive in the US as children from being deported.
This policy also gives those immigrants permission to work in the US.
Sessions and other GOP lawmakers have called this “backdoor amnesty.”
The Trump White House can rescind the policy that protects these young immigrants, and as attorney general, Sessions could provide legal guidance to defend Trump’s actions, which would put more than 700,000 people at risk of being deported.