Leaked documents from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) obtained by Fox News’ Bill Melugin show that the Biden administration initiated a “mass release” of 160,000 illegal immigrants into the United States beginning in March amid a record-setting number of border crossings — and 70,000 of those releases happened in the last two months.
“At least 160,000 illegal immigrants have been released into the U.S., often with little to no supervision, by the Biden administration since March – including a broad use of limited parole authorities to make more than 30,000 eligible for work permits since August,” according to Fox News. “The documents give a partial snapshot into how the Biden administration has been releasing enormous numbers of migrants into the U.S., often with little to no oversight, supervision or immediate risk of deportation.”
Melugin posted some of the documents on Twitter, and they appear to show that the U.S. government has released around 90,000 asylum seekers, who crossed the border illegally and eventually encountered CBP, with “notices to report” — a demand letter that requires the immigrants to check in with an Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office when they settle in an American city and begin the asylum process.
NEW/THREAD: According to Border Patrol documents provided by a source, the federal gov has released over 70,000 illegal immigrants into the U.S. since August 6, including 31,977 released via parole (temp legal status, eligible for work permits).
94,570 released via NTR since 3/20 pic.twitter.com/ag5OMsYw27— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) October 13, 2021
A similar policy was colloquially known as “catch-and-release” during the Obama administration. President Donald Trump instituted a “remain in Mexico” policy that required those seeking asylum to remain south of the United States-Mexico border while their case was adjudicated rather than spend that interim time inside the U.S.
“Meanwhile, since Aug 6th, the administration has released roughly 32,000 immigrants into the U.S. via parole – which gives migrants a form of legal status and the ability to apply for work permits,” Fox News added.
According to Melugin, the “parole” designation is supposed to be used sparingly.
“Federal law says parole authority is to be used on a case-by-case basis for ‘urgent humanitarian purposes’ and ‘significant public benefit,’” Melugin noted. The Biden administration, for example, has used the concept of parole to fast-track tens of thousands of refugees from Afghanistan evacuated during the last days of the Afghan war.
An official with CBP who spoke to Fox noted that the parole designation “provides mechanisms to require family units released from CBP custody to report to ICE within a specified time” and that the vast majority of individuals instructed to report in do contact ICE officials.
Melugin’s report comes as the Biden administration is preparing for an onslaught of migrants from Central and South America, mostly Haitians seeking asylum. In September, thousands of Haitian migrants descended on Del Rio, Texas, forcing the Biden administration to briefly expedite immigration processes. Beyond that, border patrol has registered a record number of illegal immigrant apprehensions each month for the past several months, raising concerns that the Biden administration is having difficulty containing a “border crisis.”
“The agency has not released its numbers for September, but in both July and August there were more than 200,000 migrant encounters, marking some of the highest numbers in two decades. Since then, migrants have kept coming in large numbers. According to the documents, Rio Grande Valley encountered 5,900 migrants in one week, while Del Rio encountered more than 2,900 in the same period,” Fox News reported.