Border Patrol Council cites 'catch and release' policy as boosting illegal immigration

The Border Patrol Council has released a letter that reports on a meeting between two B.P. officials and a representative of the Department of Homeland Security where the DHS official told the agents that they had "no intention" of issuing orders for deportation hearings to illegals.

“Why would we NTA [issue a Notice to Appear to] those we have no intention of deporting?” said the DHS official.

The Monitor:

“We should not place someone in deportation proceedings, when the courts already have a 3-6 year backlog.”

In the letter, Judd blames President Obama for undermining immigration laws and having his political appointees implement policies that contradict enforcement priorities. He also states this lack of enforcement undermines the nation’s immigration system and encourages illegal immigration.

“Rather than take the steps necessary to end the border surge, the Obama Administration is encouraging more to come by forcing Border Patrol agents to release unlawful immigrants into the United States with no intention of ever removing them,” Judd states.

Chris Cabrera, local Border Patrol council president, said there are no consequences for people coming over illegally and the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent trying to divert illegal immigration are pointless without enforcement.

USAID, a government agency working to end global poverty, spent more than $141 million in fiscal year 2013-2014 in Guatemala alone, according to a 2014 Congressional Research Report. This money is meant to help the countries fight crime, violence and lack of opportunities to deter illegal immigration into the U.S. Congress is currently working out a new Alliance for Prosperity plan aimed at adjudicating more than $1 billion in aid to all of Central America.

In fiscal year 2015, about 331,000 illegal crossers were apprehended on the Southwest border, which includes the Rio Grande Valley sector, down from nearly 480,000 the previous fiscal year. More than two-thirds of people apprehended in the RGV sector are from Central America, according to BP statistics.

Cabrera said the recent drop in apprehensions is not a result of this money being spent in Central America but a consequence of agents being forced to “babysit” large groups of illegal crossers and leaving large parts of the border uncovered.

“People are getting away,” Cabrera said, “It’s just that no one wants to admit that people are getting away.”

The reason there's a huge backlog of deportation cases is that the administration refuses to ask for more money to fund an increase in judges and immigration court locations.  The situation is expected to become even more criticial over the next few years as hundreds of immigration judges are set to retire.  The B.P. Council calls it "backdoor amnesty":

“What they are doing is like a backdoor amnesty or an amnesty through policy,” he added. “They can’t get everybody in the right way so they are just going to release everybody on their own recognizance pending a court date that hasn’t been set, knowing that over 85 percent of the people don’t show up for the court date.”

This is an intolerable situation when the administration simply gives up trying to enforce the law.  And the fact that 85% of illegals thumb their noses at the system by refusing to show up for their hearings makes the situation on the border even more frustrating.

Catching illegals at the border is one thing.  Apparently, sending them home is a near impossibility under this administration.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/04/border_patrol_council_cites_catch_and_release_policy_as_boosting_illegal_immigration.html