An internal Border Patrol memo obtained by Fox News instructs San Diego-sector agents to release single adults from all but six Eastern Hemisphere countries and classify them as “hard to remove” or “very hard to remove.”
The memo was sent after President Biden’s executive order banning asylum for most undocumented immigrants went into effect last week.
Announcing the order on Tuesday, Biden said he would “overcome Republican obstruction and use the executive authority that I owe as president to do what I can to address the border situation.”
The memo, first reported by The Washington Examiner’s Anna Giarritelli, details that it instructs agents to process all single adults from the Eastern Hemisphere through “NTA/OR” (Notice to Appear/Remand) except for immigrants from Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan, which are subject to “mandatory referral” countries.
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Fox News obtained an internal Border Patrol memo sent to San Diego sector agents directing them to release single adults from all but six Eastern Hemisphere countries. (Bill Melgin/Fox News)
There are more than 100 countries in the Eastern Hemisphere and the vast majority of migrants in the San Diego area are being released into the U.S. despite threats and promises from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and President Biden to remove migrants crossing the border illegally under new executive orders.
Video recorded by Fox News continues to show Border Patrol buses releasing hundreds of migrants at a San Diego trolley station almost daily.
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The memo was sent after President Biden’s executive order banning asylum for most illegal immigrants went into effect last week. (Bill Melgin/Fox News)
There are also many countries that the U.S. government considers “rebellious” and therefore refuse to cooperate with U.S. deportation flights and allow their citizens to return home.
The Department of Homeland Security, in a backgrounder call with reporters on Friday, acknowledged that it would be difficult to rule out specific Eastern Hemisphere countries, but that it is working with those countries, including China, to gain their cooperation.
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Migrants line up at the southern border in San Diego on June 6, 2024. (Fox News)
In the short term, despite how the executive order was promoted, catch-and-release practices will continue in large numbers.
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A presidential proclamation that would temporarily halt migrant entry across the southern border if border encounters exceed a seven-day daily average of 2,500, officials said, prompted the Homeland Security and Justice departments to enact rules that would raise the bar for asylum.
However, there are a number of important exceptions to this rule.
The rule does not apply to legal immigrants, unaccompanied children or people determined to be “severe trafficking victims,” nor does it apply to people who make reservations through the CBP One app at ports of entry, where about 1,500 people enter the country each day.
There are also exceptions to the rule that allow entry “after taking into consideration significant circumstances justifying the admission of an alien, such as law enforcement, police officers, public safety, urgent humanitarian interests, or public health interests.”
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
