A Washington Times report outlined the damage that the Catch and Release Program has been for Trump’s immigration agenda.
Illegal immigration across the southwest border rose again in April, continuing a surge that has entirely erased President Trump’s early gains and left officials in Washington struggling over answers.
Nearly 39,000 illegal immigrants were nabbed by the Border Patrol last month, according to preliminary numbers seen by The Washington Times. That’s a staggering 233 percent increase over the same month a year ago — the biggest year-over-year increase in records dating back to the beginning of the decade.
Experts said the increase is being driven by lax U.S. policies that illegal immigrants have figured out ways to exploit, meaning that even if they’re caught they’re likely to be released and have a chance to disappear into the shadows.
Dubbed “catch-and-release,†those policies continue to bedevil the Border Patrol agents responsible for protecting the southern border.
“The reason is obvious: If you can cross the border illegally without any consequence, why not. As long as the catch-and-release policy-program exists, large numbers of people are going to cross the border illegally,†said Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council.
The numbers also showed that 75% of the border crossers that were apprehended in April would be released without penalty thanks to the Catch and Release Program.
As we have reported the Trump Administration has yet to end the Obama-era catch and release program.
