'Resetting of the Goalposts': White House Says All Undocumented Immigrants Are 'Criminals'

U.S. President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have frequently suggested that by pushing back against Trump's anti-immigration agenda, Democrats are expressing support for permitting violent criminals to walk free in the United States.

But in the administration's first press briefing on Tuesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted Trump's push to deport undocumented immigrants is not targeted at people who have committed violent crimes—instead, anyone who is in the U.S. without authorization will be treated as a criminal and subject to the president's deportation plan.

Peter Alexander of NBC News cited comments from Trump on the campaign trail, when he said undocumented immigrants who are swept up in raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are "going back home where they belong, and we start with the criminals. There are many, many criminals."

Of the 1,179 undocumented immigrants who were arrested by ICE on Sunday, said Alexander, 566 appeared to have no criminal record aside from entering the country without going through a port of entry—a civil violation that usually results in a fine, not a criminal offense.

Alexander asked if being a violent offender is "no longer the predicate for these people to be deported"—a question Leavitt responded by repeatedly calling undocumented immigrants "illegal criminals" and suggesting people who have committed civil offenses will be treated the same as those who have "terrorized law-abiding American citizens."

"This could be a significant resetting of the goalposts," said Dan Froomkin, editor of Press Watch. "Trump said mass deportation should initially target undocumented criminals. Now the White House says anyone undocumented is a criminal."

Josh Breisblatt, the Democratic chief counsel on the Immigration Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, said Leavitt provided a "very helpful reminder for the media and others" regarding Trump's true views on immigration.

"When Republicans talk about 'criminal aliens' they literally mean every undocumented person," said Breisblatt. "Dreamers, [Temporary Protected Status] holders, agricultural workers, people who came lawfully and overstayed a visa, there is no difference to this administration."

Leavitt drove home her point during the press conference by claiming all undocumented immigrants "have invaded our nation's borders" and telling another reporter: "If they broke our nation's laws, yes, they are a criminal."

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick noted on Sunday, as ICE conducted raids in Chicago, that Trump's executive orders on immigration enforcement "do NOT direct ICE to prioritize people with criminal convictions. Instead, they repeatedly make clear that every undocumented immigrant is a top priority."