The second month of Donald Trump's presidency began with the release of new memos from the Department of Homeland Security outlining its plan to prioritize deportations.
"This is consistent with everything the president has talked about," said White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. "All this does is layout the exact procedures to make sure that sub group of people who pose a threat to our nation because of a conviction or violation of public safety or have a criminal record are adjudicated first and foremost. That's it, plain and simple."
When asked if the goal was mass deportations, Spicer responded, "No."
"The message from the White House and from the DHS is that those people who are in this country and pose a threat to public safety or have committed a crime will be the first to go and we'll be aggressively making sure that that occurs," he added. "That is what the priority is."
But that doesn't mean people living in the U.S. illegally get a free pass.
The administration points out there are laws on the books and they intend to enforce them.
"Remember everybody who is here illegally is subject to removal at any time. That is consistent with every country, not just ours. If you are in this country in an illegal manner, obviously there's a provision that could ensure that you could be removed," Spicer said.
