The Trump administration will effectively end the “catch and release”practice within immigration enforcement next week, acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kevin McAleenan announced Monday.
The agency said that a new policy will be instituted as the result of the “combined impact” of existing initiatives that will end the practice of detaining migrant families before releasing them into the U.S. while they await an immigration court hearing.
“With some humanitarian and medical exceptions, DHS will no longer be releasing family units from Border Patrol Stations into the interior,” McAleenan said in a statement, calling it a “vital step in restoring the rule of law and integrity to our immigration system.”
Under the new procedures, if a family does not claim fear of return to their home country, they will be deported to that country. If the family does claim fear of return, they will be returned to Mexico under the Migrant Protection Protocols, a Trump administration policy that requires migrants to wait on the Mexican side of the border while the U.S. processes their claim.
It’s unclear if the Trump administration will put forth a new policy or order formalizing the end of catch and release. Any new measure that curbs immigrants’ rights is sure to face lawsuits.
Platner shrugs off mounting controversies as ‘politically motivated’ and ‘false’ at rally
‘See you Monday’: Susie Wiles dismisses ‘Friday fiction’ she is eyeing White House exit
Paying for Klan Hoods, Cross Burnings, And an Imperial Wizard – The 6 Worst SPLC Sins Alleged in New Indictment
Report: Karmelo Anthony Has Visible Reaction as Intense Body Cam Footage Is Played in Court
Eric Schmitt rips Hirono over denaturalization bill: ‘You’re damn right we’re deporting’ criminals
Natasha Owens drops ‘TDS’ song and music video: ‘You tested positive’
Reporter’s Notebook: GOP bets on fraud crackdown as economic woes surge ahead of midterms
California election limbo fueled by 4 pressure points dragging out vote count, expert says
America at 250: The American Dream Still Begins With Marriage
Karen Read says she gets free meals and discounts everywhere after not guilty verdict
The People Connected to the New UFO Reveals Give Good Reason for Skepticism
DC Circuit grills DOJ over White House bid to continue building ballroom
Video shows Marine veteran wrestle armed teen to ground after alleged robbery attempt
Bondi’s replacement saddled with Epstein baggage as he awaits grueling confirmation battle
Schumer rips Senate Republicans for passing billions in ICE and Border Patrol funding in late-night vote
President Trump and acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan last week told reporters aboard Air Force One that they expected the administration would be able to end catch and release within a “couple of weeks.”
The president regularly exaggerates the practice during campaign rallies to paint it in a negative light, describing it as a program in which immigrants are released into the mainland U.S. and then refuse to return for their scheduled court date.
“You have a program, catch and release: you catch them and then you have to release them. And they’re supposed to come back to court in the next three, four, five, six years, and nobody shows up,” Trump said at a rally earlier this month.
The administration has in recent months ratcheted up its efforts to curb the number of legal and illegal immigrants coming into the country.
Trump and McAleenan have announced agreements with Honduras and El Salvador to encourage those countries to take in more asylum-seekers, U.S. Customs and Immigration Service has rolled out policies tightening access to benefits for immigrants, and the Supreme Court earlier this month upheld a policy significantly limiting the number of migrants who can claim asylum in the U.S.
Story cited here.
