President Donald Trump said he is considering releasing illegal immigrants into sanctuary cities, confirming rumors this week suggesting his consideration of the move.
“Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!” Trump said on Friday afternoon.
….The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019
Trump has long criticized sanctuary cities for protecting those who violate immigration laws and even commit violent crimes. He has even suggested cutting federal funding to the sanctuary cities.
Trump’s remarks come days after a United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit judge ruled Monday that the Trump Administration could not return asylum seekers to Mexico to wait on their court appearances, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco said returning the immigrants to Mexico failed to protect them from “undue risk to their lives or freedom.”
Seeborg added that “further procedural protections would be required to conform to the government’s acknowledged obligation to ensure aliens are not returned to unduly dangerous circumstances.”
Trump tweeted after the ruling, “A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL!”
A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL! https://t.co/XF8o3jMDle
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2019
U.S. immigration court already more than 800,000 cases awaiting hearings, and the backlog continues to increase with the influx of migrants from numerous Central American migrant caravans since October.
The Department of Homeland Security faces overwhelming capacity for detained immigrants, are scrambling to find housing for up to 5,000 migrant children, and have been releasing immigrants by the thousands into U.S. cities.
DHS confirmed last month that the number of immigrants apprehended by border patrol officials has been increasing exponentially, and is on pace to reach one million by the end of the year.
Nearly 75,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended in February alone, an increase of 30 percent from January, and an increase of 80 percent compared to Feb. 2017, former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said.
“Our capacity is already severely strained, but these increases will overwhelm the system entirely,” Nielsen said during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on March 6. “This is not a ‘manufactured’ crisis. This is truly an emergency.”
“Even the Democrats now say that our Southern Border is a Crisis and a National Emergency. Hopefully, we will not be getting any more BAD (outrageous) court decisions!” Trump also tweeted on Friday.
Even the Democrats now say that our Southern Border is a Crisis and a National Emergency. Hopefully, we will not be getting any more BAD (outrageous) court decisions!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019
Democrats have posed a challenge for Trump’s immigration policies. His administration has faced numerous lawsuits on his policies, including family separations at the border, and Congress has rejected funding for a southern border wall or sufficient border security resources.
