The Biden administration’s decision to walk back Trump-era enforcement measures has caused the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border over the past 18 months, Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz admitted under oath in a July 28 deposition.
The nation’s top Border Patrol agent testified in a private legal deposition that Biden’s border policies are to blame for the unprecedented surge at the border and release of hundreds of thousands into the US since they have no consequences for illegal migrants.
Despite agents’ frustrations with leadership, Ortiz has kept a low profile and avoided speaking out publicly after he was tapped by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to head the Border Patrol early on in the Biden administration
He was now called as part of the discovery process in Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security to testify to the cause of the border crisis.
Florida is basing its lawsuit against the Biden administration on allegations that their decision not to detain illegal immigrants in ICE jails through court proceedings enticed more migrants to come knowing they would be released into the US.
As part of the ICE program Alternatives to Detention, which was dramatically expanded at the Biden administration’s direction, migrants are temporarily housed in hotels before being released. The agency is later tracking them through cellphone apps that do not require in-person check-ins.
Stressing the present situation constituted a crisis, Ortiz agreed with Moody that unprecedented numbers of migrants have been encountered at the border this year, noting that since Biden took office, more than 3 million people have been encountered attempting to illegally enter the US from Mexico.
Rather than taking them into custody and referring them for prosecution for unlawful entry, which is a federal crime, Border Patrol may expel illegal immigrants which may later try to reenter a second time without getting caught.
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