Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, on Saturday implored President Biden to end the “catch-and-release” cycle that brings millions of illegal immigrants into the United States, echoing the pleas of his Republican House colleagues. I was in tune.
“There will be an inevitable impact at the border,” said the 10-term congressman whose district includes Laredo, Texas. told Fox News.
“Refugee law, the criteria for admitting people into the country, can be adjusted,” Cuéllar said, adding that current law could be used to deport people who flout immigration rules.
“When you encounter millions of individuals a year and introduce hundreds of thousands more, that becomes an attraction factor,” Cuellar said. “That catch-and-release thing… is the draw factor.”
A record 276,000 asylum seekers entered the United States from Mexico in December, capping off a record year. And on Friday, Biden was forced to admit that “massive changes” to immigration policy are needed.
Current administration policy allows nearly all immigrants who cross the border illegally to enter the United States and remain there for years while their cases are considered by the backlog of asylum systems.
Republicans are calling on Biden to reinstate former President Donald Trump's “remain in Mexico” policy for asylum-seekers and crack down on the massive influx of migrants by swiftly deporting those in the country illegally.
“At the end of the day, why would we allow hundreds of thousands of them into the country when most of them are going to be turned away?” urged them to strengthen it.
