Democrats finally admit border crisis is a problem
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, calls on the Biden administration to address the border crisis immediately, saying 'the time for action is now.'
A Colombian woman who entered the U.S. illegally by crossing the border in El Paso, Texas, was released and told to check in with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York City in 2031.
The woman’s attorney, Matthew Kolken, told Fox News in the nearly 30 years of immigration law he has practiced, the woman’s release with a check in eight years from now is one of the most shocking things he has ever seen.
Kolken said his client is a legitimate asylum seeker with what he believes is an airtight case.
TEXAS BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS TO SANCTUARY CITIES WITH FIRST FLIGHT TO CHICAGO
Asylum seekers wait to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States on Sept. 30 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)
But because immigration cases are backlogged so much with illegitimate asylum claims, he is not sure he and his team will ever get a chance to argue her case in court at a check-in date eight years from now.
"It made me realize the Biden administration is basically providing backdoor amnesty for anyone who wants to show up at the border," Kolken, a two-time "Lawyer of the Year" in immigration law said.
The U.S. southern border continues to see record numbers of migrant encounters this week.
Dec. 18, 2023: Migrants flood into Eagle Pass, Texas, waiting to be processed. (Fox News)
On Monday, thousands of immigrants flooded into Eagle Pass, Texas, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox there were over 12,600 migrant encounters that day.
That number does not include the thousands that were still waiting to be processed in the Del Rio Sector that night, but does include over 11,000 illegal immigrant apprehensions and over 1,600 encounters at ports of entry.
A senior CBP official told Fox the encounter levels seen present a serious challenge to the agency, adding that all available sources are being utilized to ensure the safety and security of CBP officers and agents, as well as migrants often being misled and victimized by transnational criminal organizations.
TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT SIGNS BILL MAKING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION A STATE CRIME
FILE: A U.S. Customs and Border Protection patch on the uniform of a Rio Grande Valley sector chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol. (CBP)
According to CBP, large groups of migrants are being transported to the border and pushed across to overwhelm the Border Patrol, guaranteeing their release.
The CBP is resourced for about half the volume of encounters the agents see and respond to, and is only funded through a continuing resolution. That means it cannot spend more money than it has, and it is pulling all levers it can to provide additional support.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
To assist with the increasing and record-breaking numbers, the Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons is supplying transportation at locations along the southwest border.
