Swordsmyth
09-23-2019, 11:14 PM
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan announced on Monday the end of the practice his department refers to as "catch and release," with changes coming as early as next week. The term refers to the process in which the federal government must release migrant families, mostly from Central America, apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border into the interior of the United States to begin the process of seeking asylum. That process can take years, given the massive backlogs in the country's immigration courts.
McAleenan made the announcement during prepared remarks before the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C.
"(The Department of Homeland Security) will no longer be releasing family units from Border Patrol Stations into the interior," McAleenan said. "This means that for family units, the largest demographic by volume arriving at the border this year, the court-mandated practice of 'catch and release' due to the inability of DHS to complete immigration proceedings with families detained together in custody -- will have been mitigated."
In doing so, McAleenan would be fulfilling President Donald Trump's campaign promise to end so-called "catch and release." It follows several steps the Trump administration has taken in recent months to restrict the ability of migrants to claim asylum in the U.S.
In a follow-up statement, the Homeland Security Department said the move is part of its "strategy to mitigate the loopholes that act as a 'pull factor' for family units seeking to cross illegally at the Southwest border."
The department said that if migrant families do not claim a fear of return, they will be "quickly" deported back to their countries of origin. But if they do express a fear of return, the families would be sent back to Mexico to await the outcome of their asylum proceedings under the policy known as the "Migrant Protection Protocols."
In his remarks, McAleenan said policies such as the Migrant Protection Protocols and the new restrictions on asylum are having their intended effect. The number of migrants apprehended at the border has decreased after peaking in May.
Still, he stopped short of claiming success.
"We can’t let our progress cloud our vision," McAleenan said. "We are still at crisis levels in illegal crossings at the Southwest Border and, until we change the fundamental laws governing our immigration system, we won’t solve the underlying problem."
More at: https://news.yahoo.com/trump-administration-announces-end-catch-025632910.html
McAleenan made the announcement during prepared remarks before the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C.
"(The Department of Homeland Security) will no longer be releasing family units from Border Patrol Stations into the interior," McAleenan said. "This means that for family units, the largest demographic by volume arriving at the border this year, the court-mandated practice of 'catch and release' due to the inability of DHS to complete immigration proceedings with families detained together in custody -- will have been mitigated."
In doing so, McAleenan would be fulfilling President Donald Trump's campaign promise to end so-called "catch and release." It follows several steps the Trump administration has taken in recent months to restrict the ability of migrants to claim asylum in the U.S.
In a follow-up statement, the Homeland Security Department said the move is part of its "strategy to mitigate the loopholes that act as a 'pull factor' for family units seeking to cross illegally at the Southwest border."
The department said that if migrant families do not claim a fear of return, they will be "quickly" deported back to their countries of origin. But if they do express a fear of return, the families would be sent back to Mexico to await the outcome of their asylum proceedings under the policy known as the "Migrant Protection Protocols."
In his remarks, McAleenan said policies such as the Migrant Protection Protocols and the new restrictions on asylum are having their intended effect. The number of migrants apprehended at the border has decreased after peaking in May.
Still, he stopped short of claiming success.
"We can’t let our progress cloud our vision," McAleenan said. "We are still at crisis levels in illegal crossings at the Southwest Border and, until we change the fundamental laws governing our immigration system, we won’t solve the underlying problem."
More at: https://news.yahoo.com/trump-administration-announces-end-catch-025632910.html