Posted on 06/25/2015 4:05:24 AM PDT by markomalley
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says there's no reason to keep "families with children" in detention facilities that house people who came to this country illegally.
"I have reached the conclusion that we must make substantial changes in our detention practices with respect to families with children," Johnson announced Wednesday in a news release. "In short, once a family has established eligibility for asylum or other relief under our laws, long-term detention is an inefficient use of our resources and should be discontinued."
From now on, "the detention of families will be short-term in most cases," Johnson said. Families with children who claim "credible or reasonable fear of persecution in their home countries" will be released on "appropriate monetary bond," which takes into account the family's ability to pay.
Family units, as they are called, will be held only until immigration officials can "confirm accurate address and sponsor information," which supposedly will allow immigration officials to "ensure compliance with immigration obligations."
During their shortened time in detention, families also will be informed "about their rights and responsiblities, including attendance at immigration court hearings and other reporting requirements."
Johnson said he decided to release families with children after making "numerous visits" to family residential centers in several states:
"I personally visited the Karnes, Texas facility on Monday of last week," Johnson said. "While there, I inspected the facility, the lodging, the dining area and the classrooms for children, and spoke directly and privately with the health providers. Most significant, I spoke with dozens of Central American mothers at the facility who came to this country illegally seeking a better life for their children and themselves."
Johnson noted that the number of people trying to cross the southern border is "still high," but "down considerably" from last year.
In Fiscal Year 2014, according to Border Patrol statistics, 39,113 "family units" crossed the Southwest border into the United States, compared with 20,850 for the current fiscal year (through May).
"We continue to be vigilant in watching for any upswings in this migration pattern, and we know we must be prepared to respond in that event. We have also increased our capacity to focus our enforcement resources effectively on those who have recently crossed the border illegally, and on those who represent threats to public safety," Johnson said.
Last month, 136 House Democrats sent a letter to Johnson criticizing the Obama administration's family detention policies.
“We are troubled by the Department of Homeland Security’s continued detention of mothers and children in secure, jail-like facilities,” the letter said, adding that "even detention for a brief period of time, especially in a secure setting, is detrimental to child development."
“We believe it is undeniable that detention in a secure facility is detrimental to mothers and children and is not reflective of our values as a nation,” the letter continued. “Children require special protections and should not be placed in jail-like settings.”
Reacting to Johnson's announcement on Wednesday, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the Obama administration's policies already have resulted in more illegal immigration and this latest action will only make matters worse.
“The ongoing surge of Central American families and children arriving at our border is a crisis of President Obama’s own making, and today’s announcement from the Department of Homeland Security only encourages more children and families to make the dangerous journey to the United States,” Goodlatte said. “The Obama Administration’s failure to detain recent border crossers and those responsible for the surge is outrageous, especially in light of new information showing that the vast majority of unlawful immigrants and their children who are released into the U.S. and have removal orders never show up for their court date.
“By refusing to detain unlawful immigrants until their claims are proven legitimate, the Obama Administration is practically guaranteeing that they will disappear into our communities and never be removed from the United States,” Goodlatte said. “The best way to deter illegal immigration is to enforce our laws in the interior of the United States and detain those who illegally cross our borders while their cases are pending.
Meanwhile, a group of Democrats visited the Dilley, Texas family detention center on Monday and Tuesday. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) has called the illegal aliens "asylum seekers" who have not broken the law.
"It is not illegal to apply for asylum,” Gutierrez said. “It is the law of the land.”
And there you go. Official. Free pass to America, just bring a kid.
The ‘left’ always does everything on behalf of the ‘children’ because they are so enlightened and compassionate.
My a$$!
The only “families” the US government cares about.
Keep finding new ways to circumvent the law while demanding Americans follow State and Federal laws!
Maybe it is time for all Americans to simply stop following any laws until this out of control government begins to follow the same laws they demand Americans obey!
Either this is our government and we take it back, or we will always cower in some corner hoping this government doesn't attack us with their over powering laws and regulations!
“All we ask is that they remember to vote Democrat”
They broke our laws to come here, but I'm sure that if our law is explained to them, they will obey them all henceforth, and attend their immigration hearings. Yeah, right!
> The ‘left’ always does everything on behalf of the ‘children’ because they are so enlightened and compassionate.
My a$$!
They used “the children” involved in red light running accidents to get red light cameras installed everywhere but the Left were too stupid to realize it was a PR firm hired by the red light camera manufacturer pumping up the numbers and oversensationalizing every accident involving a child in a red light running accident. The politicians know how to play the Left like a fiddle.
Also fingerprint them and start a face recognition file.
“...We have also increased our capacity to focus our enforcement resources effectively on those who have recently crossed the border illegally, and on those who represent threats to public safety,” Johnson said.
Why should those ‘newly’ illegal/breaking-the-Law be held to a different standard than those being released?
I’m to presume those recently released are NOT a threat to public safety? Are they non-contagious? Will they NOT be driving on the roads? Will they NOT be enrolled in our schools? etc. etc. etc.
Say, can I use the same criteria for MY (first/next) incarceration? Would MY bail be lowered so I can ‘afford’ to post and leave? Somehow, I doubt the Law would be broken for MY benefit.
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