8:06 p.m. ET, January 21, 2021
Immigration lawyers nervously await details of ICE's deportation moratorium
From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Geneva Sands
On the eve of President Joe Biden’s deportation pause taking effect, Immigration and Customs Enforcement are still working through details of the moratorium, according to three DHS officials.
The decision to halt deportations for 100 days was made "to ensure we have a fair and effective immigration enforcement system focused on protecting national security, border security, and public safety," according to a DHS news release sent out late Wednesday.
The moratorium, which Biden had pledged to impose during his campaign, will start Friday.
On Thursday, immigration lawyers whose clients are slated to be deported anxiously awaited for more information. Eileen Blessinger, an immigration attorney based in Virginia, kicked off Thursday morning trying to sort out next steps for clients slated to be removed.
“Clients are just wondering what it means for them,” Blessinger said. “It’s kind of an unknown for everyone.”
James Reyes, another immigration attorney based in Virginia, was trying to get in touch with ICE to confirm whether his client, 34-year-old man from Guatemala, would be deported Thursday when a flight was scheduled.
“Either we’re going to get a call from him in Guatemala... or we’ll hear back that he’s in Oakdale (Louisiana),” Reyes said, referring to the city where his client has been transferred.
On Biden’s first full day in office, officials at the Department of Homeland rushed to begin to set in place the series of actions taken by Biden that reverse his predecessor’s policies.
“It’s a hectic pace to reassess,” one DHS official said.