WESLACO – President Donald Trump’s new executive order primary focus is public safety in the United States. The order upholds existing immigration laws, calls for additional manpower and prioritizes criminals for removal proceedings.

The new order is called “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” It prioritizes the removal of people with criminal backgrounds who crossed the border illegally.

The order also asks the director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to hire 10,000 additional immigration officers.

The additional officers may not be enough to handle the task. The people facing removal proceedings may decide to fight their case.

The U.S. immigration court system said it’s handling half a million cases already. There is an estimated two year backlog of immigration cases.

“It’s going to present a huge problem to both the immigration court and to all of the people who are involved in that process,” immigration attorney Carlos M. Garcia said.

He said the government would have to hire more judges and court staff.

Another executive order by Trump calls for the construction of new detention facilities near the border, and orders the Department of Justice to start assigning immigration judges.