DHS issues guidance limiting immigration arrests in "protected areas"

• The guidelines list schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship, playgrounds, parades and other locations as protected.

The guidance tells DHS officers and agents to "use their judgment" to determine whether a location would count as a protected area, "taking into consideration the activities that take place there, the importance of those activities to the well-being of people and the communities of which they are a part."

• Under the directive, agents should also consider whether an arrest at a certain location would affect people's "willingness to be in the protected area and receive or engage in the essential services or activities that are offered there."

What they're saying: "In our pursuit of justice, including in the execution of our enforcement responsibilities, we impact people’s lives and advance our country’s well-being," DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

• "As a result, when conducting an enforcement action, ICE and CBP agents and officers must first examine and consider the impact of where actions might possibly take place."
• "We can accomplish our ... mission without denying individuals access to needed medical care, children access to their schools, the displaced access to food and shelter."