Please Note: The content you will see is the actual work product of the QHSR study groups and participants, it is not final, vetted DHS policy.

Smart and Tough Enforcement of Immigration Laws Backgrounder

Goals and Objectives

Vision:

A secure, unified, fair, adaptive, and responsive immigration system that protects the public, enriches our society, and advances economic growth.

Goal 1: Effectively administer our immigration laws and efficiently make decisions with fairness and integrity.

  • Create a User-friendly System - Establish and maintain an interactive, user-oriented system that informs the public about procedures and benefits, accepts and tracks applications, and responds to inquiries.
  • Make Good, Prompt Decisions - Ensure fair, consistent, prompt, and accurate immigration decisions.
  • Ensure Real-time, Cross-agency Information Sharing - Provide real-time and complete immigration, enforcement, and threat information to decision-makers in a manner that respects civil liberties and privacy.
  • Develop Department-wide Planning Capabilities - Develop a department-wide planning capability that supports current, contingency, and future operations.
  • Encourage legal avenues of immigration - Encourage legal avenues of immigration.

Goal 2: Eliminate the conditions that allow and encourage aliens to illegally enter and remain in the United States, [to include providing tools for employers to ensure a legal workforce, while holding accountable those employers who violate the laws].

  • Reduce Demand for Illegal Workers - Reduce the demand for illegal workers.
  • Prevent Fraud - Prevent fraud, abuse, or exploitation of the immigration system.
  • Eliminate Systemic Vulnerabilities - Eliminate systemic vulnerabilities that threaten the integrity of the immigration system.

Goal 3: Identify, prevent admission, and remove criminal, fugitive, dangerous and other removable aliens from the United States while providing safe and humane conditions and respecting the rights of those in our custody.

  • Remove Dangerous People - Arrest, detain, and remove criminal, fugitive, dangerous, and removable aliens consistent with due process and civil rights protections.
  • Stop Admission of Dangerous People - Prevent the admission of criminal, fugitive, dangerous, and other inadmissible aliens.
  • Create a Model Detention Program - Create and maintain a model detention program that provides a safe environment, quality medical care, and full compliance with detention standards.
  • Utilize International Partners - Improve coordination and cooperation with international partners on immigration enforcement.

Goal 4: Promote the integration of immigrants into American civil society.

  • Facilitate Immigrant Integration - Provide leadership, support, and tools to immigrants to facilitate their integration into American society.
  • Facilitate Community Cohesion - Provide leadership, support, and tools to communities to foster community cohesion.

Vision:

A secure, unified, fair, adaptive, and responsive immigration system that protects the public, enriches our society, and advances economic growth.

This is an end-state view of an immigration system that will meet present and future national security requirements, reflect the core values of the United States, facilitate commerce and cultural enrichment, instill public confidence, and serve to inspire and guide all who work in the immigration enterprise. The system shall: protect the public, execute policy in a consistent and collaborative manner, adapt to changing trends and threats, be responsive to the needs of the public and users of immigration services, treat all individuals fairly in accordance with law, facilitate lawful commerce, and lead efforts to integrate new immigrants into U.S. civil society.

Goal 1:

The purpose of this goal is to: establish and maintain and unified user-oriented system that leads to a more well-informed public; provide real-time and complete immigration, enforcement, and threat information to decision-makers in a manner that respects privacy and civil liberties; ensure fair, consistent, prompt, and accurate immigration decisions; develop a department-wide planning capability that support current, contingency, and future operations; and, encourage legal avenues of immigration. There is a need for a more streamlined approach for open communication with many U.S. stakeholders, such as employers, universities, and others who have immigration needs. Goal 1 proposes the development of a unified approach for communicating with and assessing the immigration needs of stakeholders, removing impediments to those needs, and educating the public on requirements.

Goal 2:

This goal focuses on eliminating the conditions that enable illegal immigration, to include the draw of employment, the criminal enterprises that facilitate the stay of illegal aliens, and system vulnerabilities. The demand for illegal workers exists in many cases because the benefits of hiring illegal workers outweigh the penalties and risks. The demand will be reduced through criminal and administrative enforcement, employment eligibility verification tools, as well as employer outreach and education. Aliens who illegally enter, or who violate conditions of a lawful admission frequently rely on criminal enterprises to provide the means for evading detection by DHS through fraud, human smuggling, and trafficking. DHS will work collaboratively with its federal, state, and local partners to eliminate these criminal enterprises. Finally, this goal recognizes that DHS must constantly evaluate the immigration system, processes, and operations for vulnerabilities that can be exploited. This will be accomplished by assessment, and by developing and sharing intelligence throughout the immigration enterprise, engaging stakeholders, effecting changes in procedure and regulation, and recommending legislative changes.

Goal 3:

This goal aligns to three important DHS mission areas: the prioritized apprehension and removal of dangerous, criminal and other removable aliens, the prevention of such aliens from being admitted to the United States, and the responsibility of DHS to provide appropriate conditions to those in custody. Dangerous and criminal aliens at large pose a threat to public safety, and efforts to apprehend them will be a priority. Additionally, coordinated efforts with other Federal, State, and local authorities to identify removable criminal aliens still in custody will continue. Once apprehended, DHS will seek the expeditious removal of such aliens while respecting their civil and due process rights. Those individuals who remain in custody pending removal or adjudication of their case shall be provided a safe environment in compliance with detention standards and that is respectful of civil rights and civil liberties. Further, DHS will utilize all of its combined resources, and those of its Federal, State, local and international partners to screen ineligible applicants seeking to come to the United States at the earliest stage possible.

Goal 4:

Integration and community cohesion are critical components of a functioning society based on American democratic values. Marginalized populations can produce discrimination, civil unrest, and political instability that diminishes economic and national security and public safety. This goal recognizes that the nation is strengthened by building bonds between immigrants, their communities, and this country. This goal promotes programs to orient newcomers to American life as well as initiatives to encourage and assist immigrants to obtain citizenship and exercise their rights as citizens. It also supports efforts of communities to reach out to immigrants and involve them in civic activities and decision-making.