U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) said thousands of migrants are being released into Texas on the “honor system” without court information or notices to appear.
Rep. Cuellar told Border Report on Sunday that more than 2,000 migrants had been released into South Texas without any court papers. The releases came as Border Patrol agents became overwhelmed by the massively growing numbers of migrant families and children crossing the border.
Breitbart Texas’ Randy Clark first confirmed the practice of releasing migrants without a court date or Notice to Appear on March 21. Since that time, Cuellar says more than 2,000 migrant families have been released into Texas.
On CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Cuellar told Margaret Brennan, “Some will be returned, but over 2,000 of them have been released into the United States without a Notice to Appear. I emphasize, without a Notice to appear at a immigration court.” The Texas border congressman from Laredo called the move “unprecedented.”
“The family units are being released into the United States,” Cuellar continued. “That’s where the burden of the border communities are felt. The cities, the counties, the NGOs. We’re feeling the brunt of what’s happening with the family units.”
The Washington Post reported Border Patrol officials are now handing out “blank forms” and asking the migrant families to report, on their own effort, to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Sarah Peck explained, “Our policy remains that families are expelled, and in situations where expulsion is not possible due to Mexico’s inability to receive the families, they are placed into removal proceedings,” the Post reported.
However, Breitbart’s Randy Clark, a 32-year-veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol who retired last year, contradicted that explanation. In a March 21 article he wrote:
Without a Notice to Appear, the migrants are free to travel about the country and are not officially placed into the immigration court system. The court cannot order the removal of a migrant in absentia for failing to appear for a future court date, the source explained. the existence of a removal in absentia order from the court allows immigration officials to remove the alien without appeal if they are later encountered. Under this new process, the migrants will not have a removal in absentia order for failure to appear officials issued no order to appear under the unprecedented plan put in place by the Biden administration on Sunday morning.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.