Biden's first changes to Trump's policy 1:07
(CNN) -
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has paused deportations for 100 days, it announced Wednesday night, albeit with a few exceptions.
The announced pause on deportations joins a list of sweeping changes made by US President Joe Biden just hours after taking office, including halting the construction of the border wall, removing the controversial "Remain in Mexico" policy and revocation of former President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement actions.
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The decision to temporarily halt the deportations was made "to ensure that we have a fair and effective immigration enforcement system focused on protecting national security, border security, and public safety," according to a press release from the Department of National security.
The moratorium, to which Biden had committed during his campaign, will begin on Friday.
Internal review on deportations
The moratorium covers most deportations, but excludes people who arrived in the U.S. after November 1, who are suspected of terrorism or espionage or pose a danger to national security, who have waived their rights to remain in the U.S. or have been declared subject to removal by the acting director, according to an agency memo dated Wednesday
The break is intended to allow time for an internal review.
“(We must) ensure that our removal resources are directed to the highest compliance priorities of the Department,” the memo reads, which then adds: “The process shall provide evaluations of alternatives to removal that include, but are not limited to to, stay or reopen cases, alternative forms of detention, preventive detention, either to grant temporary deferred action or other appropriate action ”.
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Challenge at the border
Acting Homeland Security Secretary David Pekoske directed the department's three immigration agencies to review policies and practices related to immigration law enforcement, citing in part ongoing challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border. , according to the memo.
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"The United States faces significant operational challenges on the Southwest border, as it faces the most serious global public health crisis in a century," the memo says.
“In light of these unique circumstances, the Department must increase resources to the border to ensure safe, legal and orderly processing, to rebuild fair and effective asylum procedures that respect human rights and due process, to adopt guidelines and appropriate public health protocols and prioritize the response to threats to national security, public safety and border security.
The memo also sets priorities for enforcement, marking a return to Obama-era practices.
Those categories include national security, border security, and public safety.
Deportations