Montgomery, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a coalition of 18 state attorneys general in sending a letter to President Joe Biden, opposing his decision outlined in the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Certain Palestinians Presidential Memorandum issued on February 14, 2024. The coalition’s primary concern is that this memorandum prevents the removal of Palestinians who are in the United States illegally, effectively granting them temporary protection from deportation.
Attorney General Marshall has been vocal in his criticism of President Biden’s immigration policies. “Though we are in the midst of a well-recognized immigration crisis caused by President Biden’s disastrous policies, Biden continues to press for even more open borders,” said Marshall. “Now he is refusing to remove Palestinians who are in the U.S. illegally, granting them automatic release from the Department of Homeland Security. Even though a large majority of Americans want our border secured and illegal aliens deported, President Biden doesn’t care. He continues to grant illegal amnesties, and he continues to favor the demands of radical activists over the needs of the American people.”
The attorneys general argue that the President’s decision undermines the enforcement of immigration laws, which they believe should be stricter. Last November, the same group of attorneys general urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to rigorously vet foreign student visa holders and deport those involved in or supporting terrorist activities. They contend that President Biden’s latest directive contradicts these efforts by halting the removal of certain Palestinians from the U.S.
The coalition’s letter to President Biden calls for the reversal of what they describe as a “mass amnesty.” They assert that the current immigration laws, as established by Congress through the Immigration and Nationality Act, provide multiple avenues for the Executive Branch to protect individuals whose return to their home countries would threaten their lives or freedoms. The attorneys general emphasize that while DHS is tasked with enforcing these laws and the Supreme Court allows prosecutorial discretion, DED lacks a statutory basis.
The letter, spearheaded by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, includes signatures from the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. These state officials argue that the President’s actions could exacerbate existing immigration challenges and contradict public sentiment on border security and immigration enforcement.
