Attorney General Jeff Sessions vowed before hundreds of senior law enforcement officials Monday that he will not allow the United States to be “stampeded” by illegal immigrants and drug cartels.
“Right now we are dealing with a massive influx of illegal aliens across our southwest border. In April, we saw triple the number from last April. But we’re not going to stand for this. We are not going to let this country be invaded. We will not be stampeded. We will not capitulate to lawlessness,” Sessions told attendees at the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies spring conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Sessions said the Department of Homeland Security has partnered with the Justice Department on a new operation to require Customs and Border Protection officers to refer 100 percent of illegal entrants to government prosecutors.
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“If you cross this border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you. It’s that simple. If you smuggle illegal aliens across our border, then we will prosecute you,” Sessions said.
“If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law. If you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children over our border,” he added. “If you make false statements to an immigration officer or commit fraud in our system to obtain an immigration benefit, that’s a felony. We will put you in jail.”
In late April, Sessions deployed 35 prosecutors and 18 immigration judges to the border to help with asylum cases when Central American caravan arrived at ports of entry near San Diego, Calif.
A DHS spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Monday afternoon that Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen has instructed all personnel to refer illegal entrants for criminal prosecution.
“If a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer or agent encounters a U.S.-bound migrant at or between ports of entry, without legal documentation, and the person expresses fear of being returned to his/her home country, CBP officers process them for an interview with an asylum officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,” Nielsen said.
More than 50,000 undocumented people were apprehended illegally entering the U.S. in March and April, the highest rate since Trump took office 15 months ago.
“This is not business as usual. This is the Trump era. Our explicit goals for 2018 are to bring down violent crime, homicides, opioid prescriptions, and overdose deaths. And with your help, that’s what we’re going to do,” Sessions added.
