According to DHS 46,195 individuals were apprehended in October at the southern border, up from 39,501 in September and 37,048 in August. This is the highest number of illegal aliens caught in one month since June 2014, the height of the unaccompanied minors border surge.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, said in a statement that in response to this increase DHS was looking for more detention space in order to keep up with the surge and has worked with other countries to speed up the repatriation process.
However, Johnson made no mention of how to combat or end the problem only that DHS will remain focus on only deporting illegal aliens who fit their priorities. “Our borders cannot be open to illegal migration. We must, therefore, enforce the immigration laws consistent with our priorities,” Johnson wrote in his statement.
Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies, called Johnson’s statement insincere and meaningless.
“If he wanted to put a stop to it, he could, but he has made it obvious that the administration is not interested in doing so, only in putting on a show of enforcement,” she said. “His robotic repetition of the administration’s enforcement priorities make it clear that the policy is for only the most egregious ‘worst of the worst’ criminal aliens to be removed, and no effort will be made to prevent other new arrivals from taking their place.”
Rosemary Jenks, NumbersUSA’s Director of Government Relations, said that only a strong message of enforcement will slow the surge.
“There has to be a very clear public statement from the White House, Jan. 20 or Jan. 21, saying from this day forward we intend to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws,” she said. “I think that alone will make a huge difference at the border. I think the numbers will almost immediately start to slow down.”
Read more on this story at The Washington Times.
