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US government terminates immigration agreement with Arizona

The United States Department of Homeland Security has terminated an unusual agreement that the Arizona attorney general signed with the agency in the last days of the Donald Trump administration to try to limit President Joe Biden’s ability to reverse immigration policies. implemented by its predecessor.

The measure was released Wednesday as Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed a lawsuit to prevent newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from implementing Biden’s 100-day moratorium on deportations. A federal judge in Texas has already suspended her.

“The public safety community is particularly concerned that aliens who have been charged or convicted of crimes are being released as a result of the DHS 100-day moratorium,” Brnovich noted in the federal lawsuit, using the acronym in department English.

He added that authorities also fear that “releasing individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic will further overwhelm hospitals and social services at the local and county level.”

A court order issued last month temporarily prohibited the US government from implementing a pause in deportations. The file presented by Brnovich reveals that DHS canceled the immigration agreement he made with the agency, which was one of at least nine agreements DHS signed with state and local jurisdictions during the last weeks of the Trump administration.

The agreements state that jurisdictions have the right to a 180-day consultation period before executive branch policy changes go into effect.

At the moment it is not clear what has happened to the other agreements that were signed. On Wednesday, DHS declined to comment on the matter, citing that there was litigation pending.

This comes the same week that an insider revealed that then-acting Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli also struck last-minute deals with a union from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE).

The Government Accountability Project said in a whistleblower complaint sent Monday to Congress and two federal oversight agencies that the labor agreements grant “extraordinary power and benefits” to the American Federation of Government Employees ICE Council 118, the which represents about 7,500 employees and backed Trump in 2016 and 2020.

In addition to enhancing economic benefits, the agreements give the union the power to delay changes to immigration enforcement policies and practices, according to the letter the Government Accountability Project submitted on behalf of an employee. federal who was not identified.

The agreements would remain in effect for eight years unless DHS challenges them by February 17, which is 30 days after Cuccinelli signed them.

“This abuse of authority is impressive,” wrote David Seide, attorney for the unidentified employee, noting Cuccinelli’s “extraordinary involvement.”

“It is clear that they are another example of the efforts of the previous government in its last hours to cement a legacy at the expense of taxpayers,” he said.

Cuccinelli claimed in an email that he did nothing wrong.

“With the advice and advice of the Office of the Legal Counsel, I executed the appropriate agreements to finally address many of these previously unresolved issues,” he said. “From what I can tell, the main basis of the complaint is that I did my job well, to the chagrin of the complainant.”

DHS officials appointed by Biden have not said whether they will take action to invalidate the labor agreements.

The union official who signed them, Chris Crane, did not respond to a request for comment.

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Fox reported from Washington.

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