President Trump should not expect to see a decline in the number of illegal immigrants being apprehended at the southwest border until early fall, despite attempts by the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice to reduce rising levels of border crossings, a Trump administration official said Monday.
The “zero tolerance” policy that Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced five weeks ago will not have an affect on illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border for a “few months,” according to a Justice Department spokesman who spoke with the Washington Examiner and asked to remain anonymous.
He added that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is only a few weeks into its new process of referring all illegal entrants for criminal prosecution, and said more time is needed before the effect of these prosecutions is felt.
Sessions announced on May 7 any person who illegally entered the country would face legal consequences, not just those with criminal records.
The change in policy prompted CBP to begin referring all arrestees to the Justice Department for prosecution. First-time illegal entrants could face six months jail time and repeat offenders could face two years.
While the results may lag, the Department of Homeland Security told the Washington Examiner on Monday it has already doubled the number of people being referred for prosecution.
“Reversing years of politicians ignoring the rule of law, Secretary Nielsen has, within one month, doubled referrals to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecutions against those who violate our country’s sovereignty,” DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said in a statement.
Previously, 25 percent of illegal entrants were handed over compared to 50 to 60 percent over the past month, the Justice Department spokesman said.
Neither spokesperson would share the exact number of illegal immigrants apprehended since May 7.
However, the Justice Department official defended the Executive Office for Immigration Review for any possible variation between the apprehension and prosecution rates. He said the agency “can only prosecute what we are referred” and that any discrepancy between the total taken into custody and those being prosecuted would be because CBP is “not referring all apprehended for prosecution.”
The number of illegal immigrants apprehended at the southwest border topped 50,000 in each of March, April, and May, more than double the numbers seen a year earlier.
Trump promised as a candidate for president that he would secure the border by building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, but the dramatic upturn in apprehensions has prompted his administration to take additional actions in attempts to close “loopholes” that entice illegal immigrants.
DHS Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen was reported in mid-May as considering stepping down from her post five months into the job due to conflicts with Trump over her inability to carry out his orders. She insisted in a Fox Interview that she was not planning to resign.
