Congressional Report: Over 85% of Migrants Arriving at Southern Border Released Into U.S. As Biden-Harris Slash Detention Space
More than 85 percent of migrants arriving at the United States-Mexico border are released into the U.S. interior, a report from the House Homeland Security Committee details. At the same time, the report accuses President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of seeking to slash federal detention space.
The report — which breaks down how Biden and Harris have welcomed nearly eight million migrants to the U.S. since early 2021 — suggests that while Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has mass released migrants into American communities, the agency has simultaneously cut detention space.
“It is important to note that the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) mandates any inadmissible alien who enters the United States be detained — from the moment they are encountered until they are removed or found to have a lawful basis to remain in the country,” the report states:
Instead of taking steps to meaningfully comply with this mandate, as previous administrations have, Biden, Harris, and Mayorkas devised and implemented a comprehensive and unlawful agenda of mass “catch and release,” which has led to the release of millions of inadmissible aliens into American communities. [Emphasis added]
In particular, the report finds that just 36 percent of migrants in Fiscal Year 2021 were detained by DHS for at least some period of time while their cases were adjudicated. Compare this to Fiscal Year 2013, under former President Barack Obama, when 91 percent of migrants were detained for at least some period of time during their case adjudications. (Read more from “Congressional Report: Over 85% of Migrants Arriving at Southern Border Released Into U.S. As Biden-Harris Slash Detention Space” HERE)
