It's been an amazing week. Donald Trump has spent three work days as our nation's chief executive and has gotten more done than president Obama did in most months. It's non-stop news and non-stop change. Today, for example, brought the end of catch and release by the border patrol. Most stories covered the wall or whether Mexico would pay for it. Others covered sanctuary cities and the new policy to confront those local governments. The biggest change, however, is actually the end of catch and release.
It's worth a deeper exploration. Catch and release was the Obama policy of how to deal with people who came into the country illegally and who then requested "asylum". Every man, woman and child coming across the border from Mexico knew that once apprehended, the next step was to request "asylum". The Obama policy was to tell these people that they were due to come back for a court appearance many months in the future and then to release the people into the USA. For many who were released, the federal government also gave them bus fare to get to the city of their choice. The new policy put in place by President Trump is for those who are caught to be immediately brought before an immigration judge for a quick decision on the request for asylum. Since asylum is rarely granted, that means that nearly all of those caught would then be deported.
Think of that difference. Under Obama, the border patrol went through the fiction of setting up court dates that were honored by fewer than 5% of those who were caught. In other words, under Obama's policy, essentially every illegal who came across the border was allowed to stay in the USA. The Trump policy (which was American policy for decades prior to Obama) follows the law which requires people seeking asylum to meet certain standards specified by Congress. Those who do not meet these standards will be sent home, not allowed in. In one fast move, President Trump changed the flow of illegal aliens into the USA in a major, major way.
It's worth a deeper exploration. Catch and release was the Obama policy of how to deal with people who came into the country illegally and who then requested "asylum". Every man, woman and child coming across the border from Mexico knew that once apprehended, the next step was to request "asylum". The Obama policy was to tell these people that they were due to come back for a court appearance many months in the future and then to release the people into the USA. For many who were released, the federal government also gave them bus fare to get to the city of their choice. The new policy put in place by President Trump is for those who are caught to be immediately brought before an immigration judge for a quick decision on the request for asylum. Since asylum is rarely granted, that means that nearly all of those caught would then be deported.
Think of that difference. Under Obama, the border patrol went through the fiction of setting up court dates that were honored by fewer than 5% of those who were caught. In other words, under Obama's policy, essentially every illegal who came across the border was allowed to stay in the USA. The Trump policy (which was American policy for decades prior to Obama) follows the law which requires people seeking asylum to meet certain standards specified by Congress. Those who do not meet these standards will be sent home, not allowed in. In one fast move, President Trump changed the flow of illegal aliens into the USA in a major, major way.
No comments:
Post a Comment