FRANKFORT, KY – The Biden Administration's catch-and-release policies are fueling the unmitigated disaster at the southern border. Under President Biden, the federal government simply refuses to enforce federal immigration law.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Attorney General Daniel Cameron and 27 states warn the Biden Administration against continuing to violate the law by releasing waves of potentially illegal immigrants into the United States.
"Since its first day, this Administration has hung a 'Come In, We're Open' sign at the southern border," said Attorney General Cameron. "Thanks to Joe Biden, Kentucky and every other state is now a border state. I joined this coalition to demand that the Administration follow the law and prioritize securing our national borders."
Under the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) regulations, aliens arriving at the southern border are subject to mandatory detention. But obscure regulatory provisions make detention discretionary under certain conditions. Loophole in hand, the Biden Administration has implemented a mass catch-and-release policy, letting hundreds of thousands—potentially millions—of aliens into the country each year. These masses are allowed entry into the United States, given work permits, and dispersed throughout the country. They are permitted to remain in the United States pending removal proceedings, a process that can take up to 15 years. Few show up for their court dates, and fewer still are ever removed.
The attorneys general conclude the letter by demanding that Secretary Mayorkas put America first and amend DHS's regulations to expressly prohibit this mass catch-and-release policy.
This is Attorney General Cameron's latest effort to confront the Biden Administration's open borders. Earlier this year, Attorney General Cameron opposed President Biden's unlawful use of immigration parole power and sued the Administration over its failure to maintain the momentum created by President Trump's sensible, America-first border policies.
To read a copy of the letter, click here.
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