Thread: Guatemalan Consulate seeking answers from ICE regarding migrant releases in El Paso

Guatemalan Consulate seeking answers from ICE regarding migrant releases in El Paso

by Jala Washington
Tuesday, January 1st 2019



ICE releases several hundred migrants in El Paso over Christmas holiday


EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — It is now just over a week since migrants were dropped off by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso. On Tuesday, KFOX14 learned new information on the releases.

The Guatemalan Consulate says the migrants, around 240 families recently released in the Borderland, have come from Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and even Brazil.

The Consulate is pressing ICE with questions to determine why the families are being released in this way.

"This has been a constant thing going on, not just in December of 2018. This has been permanent and many times, they respond to the capacity they have to have them in custody," said Guatemalan Consul Tekandi Paniagua.

Releasing migrants is nothing new, as the consul of the Guatemalan Consulate in our area says.

"We have seen it. Basically, I know from previous cases there's a certain limit in the facilities that border patrol has, as well as ICE,” said Paniagua.

But Paniagua says they've reached out to ICE multiple times to try to figure out if the agents are releasing more than before.

We asked last week if migrants who have been taken into custody and now released are asylum seekers.

"Some of the migrants have shared, or communicated with various associations that they are seeking asylum but the majority does not mention that," said Paniagua.

Paniagua still isn't sure if they've been taken in legally or illegally, but he says the reality of the situation is space is becoming more of an issue for Customs and Border Protection and ICE.

"Undoubtedly, they don't have the capacity to keep them under their custody and that's when they release them.

That's the reason I’m requesting this information since last Friday from ICE, if this is the reason why, or if there's other reasons why they're releasing them.”

Whether any migrants have been returned since being released is still a lingering question.

It is still unclear why people aren't being taken back to Mexico in accordance with the Trump administration's catch and return policy.

https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/guatem...ses-in-el-paso

They should take all the illegals to the Consulate and tell them to remove them from the United States at their expense. After all, they are their citizens and their responsibility, not ours.

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Whether any migrants have been returned since being released is still a lingering question.

It is still unclear why people aren't being taken back to Mexico in accordance with the Trump administration's catch and return policy.

https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/guatem...ses-in-el-paso

What happened to that Return to Mexico plan? Was it just another one of the administrations lies?

In view of Trump's love of twitter, why hasn't he recently spoke on what's going on with all of these releases? Not a peep! Better yet, what is he doing to stop it! Catch & release is out of control and I've heard of no action to stop this craziness! If Trump's administration is half as smart as he pretends it is, someone would have figured this out by now!

Empty threats and meaningless gestures aren't getting the job done! Trump stumbled all over himself to respond to Romney's op-ed, but he has been quiet as a church mouse over these huge immigrant releases! I think it's time for Trump to rethink some of his priorities.