President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released about 3,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into the interior of the United States over the past week, slowing the process known as “catch and release” from the program’s massive levels in the last six months.
From June 18 to June 25, DHS released about 3,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into various American communities. The federal data indicates that DHS is releasing about 375 border crossers and illegal aliens every day — a 65 percent drop in catch and release since the first week of the month when more than 1,000 border crossers and illegal aliens were being released into the U.S.
Despite continuing to release border crossers and illegal aliens, DHS’s cutting down of catch and release comes after Trump struck a deal with Mexico to mitigate mass illegal immigration at the southern border. The deal dictates that border crossers seeking asylum in America must return to Mexico while they await their asylum process, rather than being released into the U.S.
The catch and release process often entails federal immigration officials busing border crossers into nearby border cities — as well as flying them into the interior of the country — and dropping them off with the hope they show up for their immigration and asylum hearings.
The overwhelming majority of border crossers and illegal aliens are never deported from the country once they are released into the U.S. Today, there are anywhere between 11 million and 22 million illegal aliens living across the country — the majority of which are concentrated in states like California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Illinois.
Since December 21, DHS has released about 211,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into the interior of the U.S. — all of which have been initially dropped off in San Diego, California; Phoenix, Arizona; El Paso, Texas; and San Antonio, Texas.
El Paso and San Antonio have been inundated with the most released border crossers and illegal aliens. In the last six months, nearly 80,000 nationals have been released in San Antonio and about 73,500 have been released in El Paso.
Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan admitted weeks ago to Congress that “100 percent” of adult border crossers arriving at the southern border with children were being released into the U.S. and eventually being given work permits to take American jobs.
Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has detailed exclusively at Breitbart News three executive actions the Trump administration and DHS officials could take to immediately end catch and release — including creating additional detention space where immigration court hearings can be heard quickly. Kobach has also warned that wage hikes for America’s blue-collar and working class will not continue while illegal immigration levels continue soaring at current rates.
Every year, the U.S. admits about 1.2 million legal immigrants with the overwhelming majority, nearly 70 percent, coming through the process known as “chain migration,” whereby newly naturalized citizens are allowed to bring an unlimited number of foreign nationals to the country. The mass inflow of legal immigrants is in addition to the hundreds of illegal aliens who are added to the U.S. population annually.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.