Trump administration to crack down on immigrant deportation

US President Donald Trump is set to crack his immigration whip once again as his administration plans a major tightening of its deportation laws on illegal immigrants.

Those immigrants who have been arrested for serious or minor crimes will be the first to be in danger of deportation, according to memos released to White House staff. Existing legislation will not be altered, but enforced with a much stricter line.

Press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Tuesday that the guidelines had been issued to allow immigration agents the power to conduct their roles effectively and efficiently.

"The president wanted to take the shackles off individuals in these agencies," Spicer said.

"The message from this White House and the Department of Homeland Security is that those people who are in this country, who pose a threat to our safety, or who have committed a crime, will be the first to go."

Trump's team faced an embarrassing rebuff after the President signed an executive order effectively suspending immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries into the US.

The order was ruled unconstitutional by the US courts system, with the administration's appeal being quashed by a higher court.

Around 11.0m immigrants in the US are undocumented. The new crackdown on those living illegally in the country could leave all of those subject to deportation in the near future.

A memo from the Department of Homeland Security pointed out the US-Mexico border as a particular area of focus, one which causes "vulnerability" to the US.

"The surge of illegal immigration at the southern border has overwhelmed federal agencies and resources and has created a significant national security vulnerability to the United States," said the department's spokesperson John Kelly