Key Points
- Nearly half of all migrants that Border Patrol caught and released into the United States in 2021 cannot be located.
- 50,000 migrants lost in America were given notices to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and never did.
- These numbers contradict statistics provided by Secretary Mayorkas at a previous Senate hearing.
More than 170,000 migrant encounters were logged at the southern border in November by U.S. Customs and Border Protection —that’s, essentially, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s worth of folks. 1.6 million migrants came across the border in 2021 – that’s a San Antonio, Texas’ worth.
It’s a humanitarian crisis that border states can’t bear and the federal government doesn’t have the resources to fix. The Biden administration seems to have two “solutions”: fly them all over the country in the middle of the night or lose them completely.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the Biden administration has lost 50,000 migrants. “Nearly half of all migrants that Border Patrol caught and released into the United States in 2021 cannot be located, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.”
So, we lost 50,000 folks somewhere in America: they were given notices to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and never did.
“Following a March 2021 policy directive from President Biden, migrants were given ‘Notices to Report’ to an immigration office rather than ‘Notices to Appear’ at an immigration court,” the WFB reports. “Proponents of the change in policy say it was necessary due to the 1.5 million backlogged cases at the nation’s immigration courts. But critics say report notices made it easier for migrants to dodge Homeland Security.”
And, yeah. That’s exactly what happened.
Between the two notices – “report” and “appear” – only appear carries legal weight according to Center for Immigration Studies expert Andrew Arthur. Miss an appearance? You’re out of here. Miss a notice? Secretary Mayorkas won’t be mad – just disappointed.
In other words, nothing happens. It’s all on the honor system.
Mayorkas said at a Senate hearing that the vast majority of migrants given “Notices to Report” check in with ICE. “Approximately 75 percent have indeed reported within the time frame or within their reporting time frame,” Mayorkas says. “And as to those who have failed to report, that would qualify as an enforcement priority of ours.”
In 2020, nearly 600,000 foreign nationals were living in the U.S. on expired visas. In 2021, we lost 50,000 strangers who pinky swore they’d show up for a court appearance.
I think the American people deserve a look at your list of priorities, Mr. Mayorkas.