While the migrant caravan officially ended last year, reports are suggesting that it may have only been the beginning.
All along the southern border, ICE is struggling to control the situation.
And this recent news suggests that things are getting out of control.
As the federal government shutdown enters the new year, ICE continues to try and hold the line along the southern border with Mexico.
But without a wall to control illegal immigration, the situation is rapidly spinning out of control.
Over the past two weeks, the after effects of the migrant caravan are starting to reveal themselves.
And as a result, ICE is being forced to do the unthinkable.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now releasing thousands of illegal immigrants due to a lack of holding space for them all.
Without anywhere to put them, ICE is simply having to let immigrants go as they struggle to deal with new arrivals every day.
Breitbart reports, “A DHS official confirmed to Breitbart News that the U.S. Border Patrol and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is releasing more than 2,000 family units caught at the U.S.-Mexico border, citing a lack of detention space.”
“The border-crossing adults and the children they arrived at the border with will be released and given a court date for an immigration hearing. The adults will be given ankle monitors, though the DHS official says the process of keeping track of border-crossers via ankle monitors is not effective,” adds Breitbart.
Border crossings in Texas and Arizona have been especially hit hard, especially in El Paso and Yuma.
Border patrol agents estimate that about 2,100 illegal immigrants attempt to cross the border each day and that 60% are carrying children with them.
All of this has meant that while the caravan officially dissolved last year, tens of thousands of illegal immigrants continue to steam towards the border, and thousands of them are being released onto the streets.
DHS and ICE have blamed congressional inaction to build a wall for the reason behind the releases.
“We are living through an immigration crisis that is in part driven by a disastrous ruling by a district court judge in the Ninth Circuit that incentives illegal alien adults to put their children in the hands of smugglers and traffickers,” according to a DHS spokesman.
This ruling has led to less than 2% of illegal border crossers being deported.
Since 2015, there has been a 169% increase in families attempting to illegally cross the border, in large part due to the Ninth Circuit’s ruling.
These numbers continue to add up, as an estimated 22,000 children entered the country illegally via the southern border just last month.
In November, over 50,000 illegal crossings were counted, the highest number since 2006.
While the shutdown drags on for another week, it’s clear that Congressional inaction is sparking a crisis along the southern border with Mexico.
And so long as Congressional Democrats spearheaded by Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi continue to stonewall President Trump on the question of border security, the problem will likely only get worse.
We will keep you up to date with any new developments in this ongoing story.
