Thread: Catch-and-release of illegals restarted in Texas, border patrol agents say

Catch-and-release of illegals restarted in Texas, border patrol agents say


U.S. Border Patrol agents are reporting a new surge in illegal border crossings in Texas. (Associated Press/File) more >

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Updated: 8:42 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15, 2017

The Trump administration reinstated a de facto catch-and-release policy for illegal immigrants nabbed crossing the border in Texas, with Border Patrol agents being told Wednesday not to even bother turning them over for speedy deportation because there was no bed space, a top agent said.

The problem, said Brandon Judd, an agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council, is that illegal immigration has surged once again after dipping during the early months of President Trump’s tenure.

That has left the deportation agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, struggling to find beds to hold the illegal immigrants. As a result, Border Patrol agents who bring apprehended people to ICE are turned away.

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SEE ALSO: Trump picks immigration crackdown advocate to be permanent chief of ICE

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“We’re going to have to release them out our front door,” Mr. Judd said. “Even if we try to turn them over to them, they’re just not going to take them.”
He said ICE’s San Antonio office, which handles most of the traffic from the Texas border, said it would have to refuse to take any family units the Border Patrol tries to turn over and will soon reject even non-family migrants.
Later Wednesday, Mr. Judd said, ICE’s El Paso office told agents it also was at capacity and was refusing family units.

“The moment we start releasing them out our front door, you’re going to see a huge increase take place in the numbers coming across,” he said.

The NBPC endorsed Mr. Trump in last year’s election, and more than a year later the president still touts that endorsement in campaign-style speeches.

Mr. Judd said the rhetoric from the president is good and had an immediate effect earlier this year in persuading migrants not to bother making the journey north.

The Border Patrol set a modern-day record low of slightly more than 11,100 illegal immigrants nabbed in April.

But as catch-and-release continued, word seeped back to home countries and the effects of Mr. Trump’s rhetoric waned. More than 26,000 illegal immigrants were arrested at the border last month, Mr. Judd said.

“The word got back to all of these countries that hey, the catch-and-release hasn’t ended,” he said. “The people that are supposed to be enforcing President Trump’s policy, they’re just not. They’re not following through on the promises he made.”
ICE didn’t deny the problem. Instead, the agency said it has to prioritize cases and is struggling with how to comply with court rulings on treatment of illegal immigrant families traveling together.

An official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, insisted the agency won’t end up issuing notices to appear — essentially just notifications of future immigration hearings. The official said CBP will pursue expedited removal or speedy deportation.

“We are in the business of catch and remove, not release,” the official said.
Tyler Houlton, acting press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, suggested the problem was a lack of support from the courts for Mr. Trump’s mission.

“We enforce the law but are severely constrained by litigation, court rulings and debilitating legal loopholes that limit our ability to carry out our mission,” he said.

“These limitations are exactly why the president has proposed his immigration enforcement priorities and why we are working with Congress to address these problems.”

But Mr. Judd said the department’s policies are getting in the way of the president’s agenda.

“The people that are supposed to be enforcing President Trump’s policy, they’re just not. They’re not following through on the promises he made,” Mr. Judd said.

His comments tracked with those of Chris Crane, the president of the National ICE Council, which represents deportation officers. In a letter to Mr. Trump this week, first reported by The Washington Times, Mr. Crane said the president’s top lieutenants were preventing him from hearing what is really going on.
“While officers view the President’s position on enforcement as courageous, the Trump administration has left all of the Obama managers and leadership in place, a group that ICE Officers know after the last eight years to be completely incompetent, corrupt and anti-enforcement,” Mr. Crane wrote.

He asked for better lines of communication directly with the president.

The White House declined to comment Wednesday.

Mr. Trump on Tuesday nominated Tom Homan, who had been serving as acting director of ICE, to hold the position permanently. Kevin McAleenan, who has been acting commissioner of CBP, was nominated months ago and is awaiting action by the Senate.

Both men have earned praise from those who want stricter enforcement of immigration laws.
But Mr. Crane and Mr. Judd said holdovers from the Obama era in the agencies and at the Homeland Security Department put up hurdles.

“Obama holdovers are still running the program, running the show. We’re putting ourselves right back into the same situation we were under the Obama administration,” he said.

Catch-and-release was one of those issues. Agents said they would arrest illegal immigrants at the border only to be ordered to release them immediately after giving them a notice to appear.

While the Obama administration considered that enforcement, to illegal immigrants it was an invitation to come to the U.S. Once released, they could slip into the shadows and blend in with the 11 million other illegal immigrants, who are gaining a foothold in society.

Central Americans even called the notices to appear “permisos,” or free passes.
Mr. Judd said Border Patrol agents under the Obama administration last year were ordered to release newly arrested illegal immigrants with notices to appear. That ended under Mr. Trump, and agents were able to turn illegal immigrants over to ICE for holding and processing — though ICE would still issue notices to appear and release them.

“The catch-and-release program never ended, and once that information got back to countries throughout the world, we started to see an increase,” he said.

He said it’s not just Latin America. Agents in San Diego have apprehended dozens of people from Asian countries so far in fiscal year 2018, which began Oct. 1 — including 64 from India.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/15/catch-and-release-illegal-immigrant-restarted-texa/

When the cat's away, the mice will play. Trump is going to be furious about this one. Heads will roll.

Originally Posted by Judy

When the cat's away, the mice will play. Trump is going to be furious about this one. Heads will roll.

Oh please ...... this would be happening regardless of where Trump is or was. He promised during his campaign that catch & release would be a thing of the past. We'll, I guess we can see that's not true.

This can be fixed, but it needs to be done without delay!

It is inexusacable for thousands to still be coming. How hollow speeches are about a reduction in people crossing when hundreds of thousands get through each year. I watched an interview recently with an agent that said upwards to 70 percent are not caught.

Call in the National Guard or military. It is an invasion. Millions here illegally and possibly a million more cross illegally each year but many are released. No wonder there is disappointment by Border Patrol and ICE.

Then we have a Congress fighting a border wall, fighting enforcement, refusing to end birthright citizenship, enabling illegal aliens and using taxpayer dollars to bless their lives here.

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeach

It is inexusacable for thousands to still be coming. How hollow speeches are about a reduction in people crossing when hundreds of thousands get through each year. I watched an interview recently with an agent that said upwards to 70 percent are not caught.

Call in the National Guard or military, it is an invasion.

ABSOLUTELY!! Call Abbott and Ducey and tell him to move Texas and Arizona National Guards to the border on a federal mission. And if some RINO or DEMOQUACK holler posse comitatus, tell 'em to sit down and shut up.

Your unwarranted hatred for our President has truly become nauseating. Whine, whine, whine, that's all you do. Worthless negative activity that based on my experience has never gained any cause, effort or organization anything. If you think you can get more with a Democrat in the White House in 3 years, which is where all this whining is headed if you ask me, then you will be as finished as Bannon.

Originally Posted by Judy

When the cat's away, the mice will play. Trump is going to be furious about this one. Heads will roll.

Trump is back and it's still happening.

TX. People in US Illegally Crowd Local Bus Station Upon Release from Custody

12/27/17

Trump Sends Fewer Mexicans Home Despite Deportation Talk

Tell Sessions. Deportation hearings are his responsibility at DOJ. MW seems very pleased with the deportation process judging from his posts on this topic, finds no fault with Sessions, whose responsibility it is, has lots of reasons and explanations for this cog in the wheel and claims deportations are up 30% over last year. So border crossings are down, arrests and deportations are up, all going in the right direction, so overall it sounds like everyone is doing a good job with the resources and system we have. Yet, there is a 650,000 case backlog in deportation hearings at DOJ. Sessions processed 87,000 so far this year and that's 30% more than last year. It will take almost 8 years at that rate to process these people out of our country under the present system at DOJ. So what do you do with the ones who are arrested every single day? Hold them in prison for 15 years waiting for a hearing? Courts won't allow that. The cog is in DOJ. And Sessions is going to have to do more than write memo to the attorneys and judges involved. He needs to go on a war path, stop being Mr. Nice Guy and bring the hammer down.

Group hearings, thousands at a time with 2 simple questions:

1. are you a citizen of the US, yes or no
2. if no, do you have valid unexpired documents granting permission to be in the US, yes or no
3. if no and no, then out you go.

Any appeal or contest will have to be handled from their home countries. Period.

Have a judge at every border check point, every detention facility, every BP and ICE location where they hold or detain illegal aliens. Process them based on these 2 simple questions on the spot, issue the order of deportation so ICE can remove them from the country immediately. No, they do not get to go home to say good-bye or settle their affairs, no they do not get a free time to make arrangements, ICE will get their home address and go there and get all the illegal aliens they can find and run down who are connected with or associated with these people, haul them to the nearest judge, ask them the 2 questions, and deport all of them as well.

These people are destroying our country, they are con artists, blood suckers, scammers, liars, cheats, thieves, rapists, pedophiles, smugglers, drug runners and killers. GET THEM ALL OUT OF HERE with 2 simple questions and a transport vehicle. We don't owe them or their families anything, not one minute, not one dime.

Stop being weak and stupid. GET THEM OUT OF HERE. No exemptions, no exceptions, no excuses, no mercy, with all minor children in tow, regardless of where they were born.

And right now, Sessions and DOJ are the cog in the wheel. Get it fixed. 87,000 deportations a year when we have 30 million of these people to remove from our country is a tragic joke.

3/17/17

Immigration Judges Headed to 12 US Cities to Speed Deportations

Judy, you fail to understand that the laws the immigration courts must operate from are set by the U.S. Congress and President of the United States. You also need to understand that the immigration courts have been underfunded during the Bush and Obama administrations. Jeff Sessions has done a tremendous job with what he has to work with. He has been very busy changing policies that are within his authority to change concerning the immigration courts. He is also doing everything in his power to close down sanctuary cities, go after MS-13 gang members, etc. Yes, I'm very pleased with his work and know he is doing whatever he can to right the DOJ. You, on the other hand, seem to still hold a grudge against him because he recused himself from the Russia collusion thing. Well, he did the right thing there too and followed the ethical standards required by DOJ policy.

Anyone that has followed Jeff Sessions career over the last decade or two know he has been the best friend we've ever had on the issue of immigration and border security! To constantly and needlessly bare your fangs at him now while he's working hard for us is not helpful, nor is it fair. Anyone that his been following him in the DOJ knows he is doing everything possible, within his authority, to do right thing for our country and our cause. I'm betting no one despises illegal immigration more than Jeff Sessions.

Honestly, I think it's ludicrous that I must get on here and defend Jeff Sessions from the likes of you considering everything he has done and is doing for our country on the immigration issue. I find your disrespect and attacks on the man on this issue to be in poor taste. If you find fault in something he is doing, that's fine, but to relentlessly attack him because you have fault with an unrelated issue (Russia collusion recusal), it's not fair.