Border Patrol reduces release of migrants processed at southern border

One month into President Biden’s executive order restricting asylum applications at the border, the number of migrants crossing the border illegally has dropped. Border Patrol officials said there has also been a significant reduction in the number of migrants released into the United States after their immigration case has been adjudicated.

Justin Delatorre, Deputy Chief of Border Patrol in Tucson

“When we release people it is because we do not have space in the detention centers to hold them, now we run a background check.”

Delatorre stressed that they check different databases to see if people have criminal records. However, they do not have access to the police databases of all the countries from which migrants are arriving.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said immigration agencies prioritize the safety of U.S. citizens.

Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security

“We vet people when we find them. If we learn sensitive information later in the process, we take appropriate enforcement action.”

Releases have dropped to nearly 90%, according to immigration authorities, and migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras continue to be deported to Mexico. Paula Díaz, Voice of America, Arizona.