Republicans are criticizing the Biden government’s decision to start admitting 25,000 migrants detained in Mexico as part of a Trump-era policy, which was a key element in the previous government’s efforts to end the “catch and release”.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday that it would begin prosecuting migrants placed under the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) next week. The MPP, known as “Staying in Mexico”, was a policy implemented and expanded in 2019 that kept migrants in Mexico pending their immigration hearing.
The Biden government estimates that about 25,000 individuals registered in the protocols still have active cases.
BIDEN ADDRESSES THE NATIONAL TRUMP EMERGENCY DECLARATION ON THE SOUTHERN FRONTIER, BUT THE TROOPS ARE ON THE SITE
The MPP was a central part of a broad Trump administration strategy to end the “catch-and-release” by which asylum-seeking migrants were detained and then released into the U.S.
The Trump administration said it was an effective way to reduce a key attraction factor that brought migrants to the border, but critics, including President Biden, described the policy as cruel and that put migrants in danger by keeping them in Mexico .
“As President Biden has made clear, the US government is committed to rebuilding a safe, orderly and humane immigration system,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement. “This latest action is another step in our commitment to reform immigration policies that do not align with our nation’s values.”
But Republicans were horrified by a wave of reversals of Trump-era policies by the new government – including the suspension of the border wall and attempts to implement a 100-day break in deportations – and pointed to the first signs of a fermentation crisis. border.
Deputy John Katko, RN.Y., a senior member of the House’s Internal Security Committee, said the move was “outrageous” at a time when Americans were being instructed to avoid traveling and staying at home – before predicting a increase in the number of numbers on the border.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ALLOWS 25,0000 ASYLUM ATTORNEYS THROUGH THE US-MEXICO BORDER WHILE CASES ARE PENDING
“Those who are being reprocessed south of our border by international organizations, who will determine their eligibility, will soon be released into the communities of the United States as they are added to the accumulation of more than 1 million immigration courts. The trial will take years, ”he said. “As more migrants learn about the ‘catch and release’ reimplementation, the increase in our border will be unimaginable.”
“As the CBP finds at the top of the border 3,000 a day on average, we quickly move into the dangerous territory of the 2019 border crisis,” he said. “The situation at the border, combined with the violent pandemic, has created a perfect storm of security, humanitarian and public health issues.”
Fox News reported last week that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was forced to release some families into the U.S. amid an increase in migrant traffic and Mexico’s refusal to accept additional families with children under 12 years in areas where growing migrant camps are growing, overloading shelter and services.
Last week, the United States said it would add 700 beds for unaccompanied minors to a shelter in Carizzo Springs, Texas, along with an additional 500 beds at a processing facility in Donna, Texas.
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on Friday that the United States has a “humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border”.
“Returning effectively to catch and release – as the Biden administration announced today – may well result in the release of positive COVID people in the United States, which will worsen the double border and public health crises, making Texas border communities less secure. and further burdening local resources, “he said.
In line with fears of a flood of migrants on the border, both DHS and the White House have warned migrants not to go to the border. White House press secretary Jen Psaki warned potential migrants on Wednesday that “now is not the time to come” and said “the vast majority of people will be rejected”.
It was a message echoed by DHS on Friday, which warned migrants that the announcement “should not be interpreted as an opening for people to migrate irregularly to the United States.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“Eligible individuals will only be allowed to enter through designated ports of entry at designated times,” he added.
Government officials have refused to name the ports of entry for fear that they might stimulate a rush of people to these locations, according to The Associated Press.
William LaJeunesse and Greg Norman of Fox News contributed to this report, as did The Associated Press.