Immigration and Customs Enforcement could reportedly release migrants farther north as southern border shelters near the Rio Grande Valley get overwhelmed.
ICE is taking the reins on migrant releases from Customs and Border Protection agents in a move that is likely to increase costs of transportation and see detainees move to facilities such as those in the San Antonio area. Federal law enforcement officials cited in the report said that if ICE lacks the resources needed to house the influx of people, migrants could be moved to San Antonio, which is roughly 144 miles away from the border in south-central Texas.
The move, which is not, by itself, intended to reduce crowding in facilities, may serve to alleviate the strain on border holding centers. ICE will take control of transport when CBP runs out of housing space.
ICE repudiated the report and said migrants are “released from custody” on a “case by case basis.” The government body, however, did not weigh in to discuss its reported larger role in transporting Rio Grande Valley-area migrants to holding facilities around central Texas.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) constantly evaluates its posture at Family Residential Centers to meet changing operational needs,” an ICE spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. Custody determinations are made on a case by case basis in accordance with US law and DHS policy. Individuals can be released from custody based on the facts and circumstances of their cases, and may be placed in alternatives to detention, including release on recognizance, or formal monitoring programs. Bottom line is that the report is inaccurate. ICE makes — and will continue to make — custody determinations on a case by case basis.”
The report follows a spike in border crossings in recent weeks. Last week, CBP agents detained a total of 1,500 migrant children, and an additional 300 were apprehended on Sunday, according to government statistics. Facilities that house children, which have approximately 8,000 beds, are at 90% capacity amid the spike.
“We absolutely are concerned,” an unnamed Health and Human Services Department official told CBS News. “We are assessing all of our options on the table to make sure we have the capacity to house kids and take care of them and make sure they’re not backed up in CBP custody.”
Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano, on Feb. 17, urged President Biden to halt the release of migrants in his city after much of the state grappled with a historic winter storm that put a strain on power and water systems.
“I am pleading and requesting with you to please put a halt to any measures regarding the release of immigrants awaiting court dates into the city of Del Rio and surrounding areas,” he said. “We do not have the resources available to house and accommodate these migrants within our community. I will have no choice but to use an extreme measure under the emergency declaration as the mayor… to refuse the entry of migrants awaiting court dates.”
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Lozano noted the “extreme circumstances” Texans were experiencing, including 3.8 million homes that were without power at the height of the crisis.
CBP did not immediately return a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
