Trump administration moves to limit work permits for immigrants with deportation orders

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The Trump administration on Tuesday announced that it was moving to limit work permits for immigrants who have deportation orders, but have been temporarily released -- a move that officials say will encourage them to remove themselves from the country.

Immigrants with orders of removal can currently be granted orders of supervision by the Department of Homeland Security until it has the travel documents to deport them. Such immigrants are required to check in with authorities and cooperate in getting the travel documents -- but they can also be granted work permits as the process goes on.

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That would change, under the proposed rule announced by the administration, with a small exception for those who can demonstrate that their removal is not possible -- and even then, employers would have to participate in the E-Verify employment authorization program.

"DHS proposes to eliminate eligibility for discretionary employment authorization...for aliens who have final orders of removal and are temporarily released from custody on orders of supervision pending removal except for aliens for whom DHS has determined that their removal is impracticable because all countries from whom DHS requested travel documents have affirmatively declined to issue such documents," the rule says.

DHS says in the rule it is written to "reduce the incentive for aliens to remain in the United States after receiving a final order of removal and to strengthen protections for U.S. workers."

The move marks the latest effort by the administration to take a tougher line on illegal immigration and to limit the number of immigrants in the work force.

“Authorizing employment benefits to aliens who have already had due process and have been ordered removed by the U.S. government undermines the rule of law and weakens DHS enforcement and removal operations,” USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow said in a statement. “This effort would also remove the economic incentive for these aliens to not cooperate in the effort to obtain travel documents to return to their home countries.”

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The administration last month announced a number of proposed changes to the H-1B guest worker program, to crack down on abuse and prevent the program being used to replace American workers from cheaper foreign replacements.

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President-elect Joe Biden has promised to undo many of the administrations actions on immigration, both legal and illegal. Among his proposals are a 100-day moratorium on deportations, as well as the raising of the cap on refugees.