Illegal Immigration Is Up 230% On The Southwest Border…

According to this, illegal immigration has soared 230 percent on the Southwest border since this time last year. Experts are attributing this to a series of awkward “loopholes” in our immigration system.

Chief among the loopholes is the de facto “catch-and-release” policy that sees most illegal immigrants caught at the border quickly put back out on the streets, with the hope that they’ll return to be deported later.

Perhaps 75 percent of all migrants caught by Border Patrol agents are given catch and release, said Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents line agents. Knowing they’ll be released rather than quickly deported has served as an enticement for more illegal immigrants to make the journey, he said.

In other words, we’re really good at catching these guys, but we LET THEM GO and hope for the best.

That’s not exactly the best deterrent. If people know they can cross our border without facing any kind of serious consequences, OF COURSE more will try to do it.

April’s numbers continue a months-long trend of worsening illegal immigration.

The Border Patrol says it nabbed 38,234 illegal immigrants during the month, while Customs and Border Protection Officers encountered 12,690 more people who tried to come through the official ports of entry without permission.

That makes for the worst month since President Trump took office.

That’s not what ANY of us wanted to hear. It’s incredibly awkward, especially when you consider that stopping illegal immigration was a MASSIVE campaign promise on Trump’s end.

More than a third of those caught by Border Patrol agents in April were Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) or families, while for CBP officers the rate has soared to more than 50 percent.

Children and families are two groups that particularly benefit from catch-and-release, thanks to court rulings that have set strict limits on how long children can be held in detention. Releasing them virtually guarantees they don’t show up for their deportations, security experts say.

I’m assuming this report sparked President Trump’s morning tweet.

Our Southern Border is under siege. Congress must act now to change our weak and ineffective immigration laws. Must build a Wall. Mexico, which has a massive crime problem, is doing little to help!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2018

I know this isn’t all on Trump. He can only do so much, but COME ON lawmakers. This is what we elected you for. This is totally unacceptable. Get moving and BUILD THE WALL.

h/t Washington Times