In a victory for the rule of law, Federal Judge T. Kent Wetherell has put a stop to the Biden Administration’s latest attempt to launch a new catch-and-release policy for illegal immigrants. With the stroke of his pen, he has blocked what could have been a massive surge of illegal border crossings, just in time for the administration’s planned lifting of the Title 42 border barrier.
The judge scoffed at the administration’s claim that his Biden’s temporary restraining order (TRO) would produce chaos at the border. “The Court fails to see a material difference between what [the border agency] will be doing under the challenged policy and what it claims that it would have to do if the policy was enjoined, because in both instances, aliens are being released into the country on an expedited basis without being placed in removal proceedings and with little to no vetting and no monitoring.”
Let’s break this down. The temporary restraining order was requested by Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody, and it effectively stops the Department of Homeland Security from pushing ahead with their controversial ‘parole policy’. This policy, devised by U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, aimed to release migrants into the U.S. under certain conditions before they are formally charged.
This decision, while only temporarily in effect for up to 14 days, is a critical move that maintains the status quo while a federal trial judge considers whether to issue a preliminary injunction. The Biden administration, no doubt, will rush to appeal this ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta.
Now, the real impact of this court decision remains to be seen. The Department of Homeland Security is not exactly thrilled. They claim this ruling will lead to unsafe overcrowding at Border Patrol facilities and impede the efficient processing and removal of migrants. Yet, they fail to acknowledge the risks posed by unchecked, illegal migration to American communities and workplaces.
Consider this: More than 10,000 migrants have crossed the border each day in the past three days. That’s tens of thousands of individuals, many of whom are job-seeking migrants, entering our country unchecked.
Biden’s border czar Alexander Mayorkas seems hell-bent on flooding the United States with migrants, despite the potential legal roadblocks. His new catch-and-release policy, ironically named “Parole with Conditions,” is alarmingly similar to a previously blocked policy. It intends to alleviate overcrowding at border patrol facilities by releasing migrants into the U.S., even without any reliable means of assessing whether these individuals pose a public safety threat.
This is not the first time Mayorkas has tried to bypass the laws requiring the detention of asylum-seeking migrants until their claims are decided. His previous “Parole + ATD” policy had a similar intent, and it too was blocked.
The catch-and-release policy has allowed an estimated seven million migrants to reach the U.S. since 2011. This policy incentivizes migrants to take on high-interest debts, often by mortgaging their homes and farms, to pay smugglers for their passage. Once in the U.S., they can quickly pay down these debts with wages earned at U.S. workplaces.
So, what does this all mean? The Biden administration continues to push policies that place the interests of illegal migrants above those of American citizens. These policies undermine the rule of law, threaten national security, and drain resources that should be used to benefit American citizens. This ruling, albeit temporary, is a significant step in pushing back against these reckless policies.
And let’s not forget the implications for American workers. An influx of job-seeking migrants creates downward pressure on wages, increases competition for jobs, and contributes to income inequality. The American people deserve better. They deserve an immigration policy that prioritizes their interests, their safety, and their economic well-being.
In the end, the Biden administration’s reckless approach to immigration is out of touch with the American people. A majority of Americans, including many Democrats, view the situation at the southern border as an invasion, according to a National Public Radio poll. It’s time for the administration to listen to the people and take action to secure the border and uphold the rule of law.
