An Arizona Congressman told Homeland Security on Monday to stop releasing illegal immigrants into his state, saying he’s been unable to get straight answers about what’s going on.
Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican, issued the demand after talks with the chief of the Border Patrol in the Tucson sector, and after talking with local officials who say they can’t handle the releases.
That includes Gila Bend, where the mayor declared a state of emergency after 16 migrants were released into the small community of 2,000 residents.
Mr. Biggs said he’s particularly concerned about the releases because Border Patrol agents are setting some migrants free without issuing what’s known as Notices to Appear. NTAs are the immigration court equivalent of a summons, giving migrants a date on which their deportation cases are to be heard.
“I request that DHS refrain from releasing aliens into communities without first coordinating with local elected officials and stop releasing aliens without NTAs,” the congressman wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
While most of the migrant surge is hitting Texas, Arizona is seeing its share, and Border Patrol agents have said they expect it to get worse.
Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, said some unauthorized border migrants are being expelled under an emergency pandemic order, while others are being processed under regular immigration laws. Holding capacity, Mexican cooperation and other factors determine who gets sent back to Mexico, who is transferred to other agencies in the U.S. and who gets released directly into American communities.
CBP said once someone is determined eligible for release, it must release them and will sometimes ship them to a local nongovernmental organization or transportation hub, such as a bus stop.
“CBP has coordinated with local stakeholders to identify those locations,” the agency said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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