Two Miami Republicans in Congress questioned on Tuesday the Trump administration’s new policy exposing to deportation nearly all immigrants illegally in the country.
U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen were speaking at an event highlighting the contribution of immigrants to Miami’s fledgling tech industry when the Department of Homeland Security announced its rules expanding the categories of people prioritized for removal — a reversal from the Obama administration, which deported more people than previous presidents but said it focused on expelling criminals.
“I worry that when you cast a wide net, you’re going to catch some criminals — but you’re going to catch a lot of good people who don’t have papers but they have not committed violent crimes,” said Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Cuba. “This is a community that has been immigrant-friendly.”
Curbelo agreed, saying there is “broad consensus” to deport “people who are here with the goal of doing us harm.”
“I’d like to encourage the administration to keep the focus on deporting dangerous criminals,” said Curbelo, the son of Cuban immigrants. “Also, I would encourage the administration to try to keep families together as much as possible.”
Read the full story from The Miami Herald: “Miami Republicans worry about Trump deportations: ‘You’re going to catch a lot of good people’”
