DHS 'catch and release' policy reaches a ludicrous high
In the annals of immigration enforcement, this may be the low point.
Judicial Watch is reporting that the Department of Homeland Security is transporting and then releasing illegal aliens from Central America without giving them any notification of a court date nor making any effort to keep track of them.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is quietly transporting illegal immigrants from the Mexican border to Phoenix and releasing them without proper processing or issuing court appearance documents, Border Patrol sources tell Judicial Watch. The government classifies them as Other Than Mexican (OTM) and this week around 35 were transferred 116 miles north from Tucson to a Phoenix bus station where they went their separate way. Judicial Watch was present when one of the white vans carrying a group of OTMs arrived at the Phoenix Greyhound station on Buckeye Road.
The OTMs are from Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala and Border Patrol officials say this week’s batch was in custody for a couple of days and ordered to call family members in the U.S. so they could purchase a bus ticket for their upcoming trip from Phoenix. Authorities didn’t bother checking the identity of the U.S. relatives or if they’re in the country legally, according to a Border Patrol official directly involved in the matter. American taxpayers pick up the fare for those who claim to have a “credible fear,” Border Patrol sources told JW. None of the OTMs were issued official court appearance documents, but were told to “promise” they’d show up for a hearing when notified, said federal agents with firsthand knowledge of the operation.
A security company contracted by the U.S. government is driving the OTMs from the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector where they were in custody to Phoenix, sources said. The firm is called G4S and claims to be the world’s leading security solutions group with operations in more than 100 countries and 610,000 employees. G4S has more than 50,000 employees in the U.S. and its domestic headquarters is in Jupiter, Florida. Judicial Watch is filing a number of public records requests to get more information involving the arrangement between G4S and the government, specifically the transport of illegal immigrants from the Mexican border to other parts of the country.
A rule of thumb; if government is doing something well, they make sure their PR flaks make it known to the media. If government is not doing its job or doing something illegal, they keep it secret.
If this is such a great idea, why isn't the Obama administration holding press conferences, giving reporters photo ops, allowing them to interview the happy illegals, or otherwise promote this policy as humane and necessary?
The fact that it is being done in secret without oversight by Congress or the media goes a long way in explaining their criminal negligence in enforcing the law. DHS does not have the authority to disregard laws put in place by Congress to deal with illegal aliens. Hence, they are acting above and beyond the law and should be called to account.
Bandon Judd, chief of the National Border Patrol Council, says that about 80% of illegals are dealt with in this manner. It's happening all across the border as illegals are released into unsuspecting communities.