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.
Obama Center takes heat as critics cry foul over ID rules for free entry — while Dems blast voter ID laws
Watch: Hegseth Describes Pilot’s Miraculous Easter Rescue in Terms the Godless Biden Admin Wouldn’t Dare Utter
New poll reveals Spanberger’s popularity is plummeting amid backlash over gerrymandering
Bald-headed killer smiles as prosecutors reveal what she did before dad walked in
Tim Walz-Appointed Judge Throws Out All Charges Against Woman Accused of Interrupting Easter Service
Repeat offender with 19 felonies busted after wild caught-on-camera chase: police
Trump Says Media Leak Jeopardized Iran Rescue, Threatens Reporter with Jail
Finally: Thanks to Pete Hegseth, American Servicemen Are No Longer Sitting Ducks on Their Own Bases
Orban accuses Ukraine of terrorist plot against pipeline amid uphill election battle
Megan Rapinoe Back in the Spotlight – And Getting Torched – For Blasting Rule Protecting Women Athletes
Trump claims he’d win as the president of Venezuela — just needs to ‘quickly’ learn Spanish
Steve Daines’ handpicked Senate successor Kurt Alme vows to keep Montana in Republican hands in 2026
CIA Director Says Iran Was ‘Embarrassed’ and ‘Humiliated’ After American Rescue Mission
Woman gives birth midflight as air traffic controller suggests fitting name for baby
Trump and Hegseth lean hard on religion in post-Easter Iran press conference: ‘God is good’
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.
