A federal judge in Florida has halted the Biden administration’s practice of releasing illegal aliens into the United States without court dates.
The ruling, issued by Judge T. Kent Wetherell II, a former appointee of President Donald Trump, comes just hours before the expiration of Title 42, the measure that allowed for the immediate expulsion of illegal border crossers to Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday night, Judge Wetherell issued a temporary restraining order against the Biden administration’s parole policy, which aimed to replace Title 42. The order, effective from 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, was announced by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who had filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over the policy.
“We took swift action to protect the American people from [President Joe Biden’s] unlawful plan to release thousands of illegal immigrants when Title 42 lifts in an hour. I am grateful for the quick decision by the federal judge,” Moody wrote.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody argued that the Biden administration’s new policy, which allows for the release of undocumented immigrants without court dates, is essentially the same as a previous program called Parole plus Alternative to Detention (Parole + ATD), which was deemed unlawful by a Florida court in March.
In agreement with Moody’s argument, Judge Wetherell stated in his ruling that the policy was “materially indistinguishable” from Parole + ATD, both in its purpose of reducing overcrowding in detention facilities and its manner of operation.
According to a Department of Homeland Security memo, the new policy outlined by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas grants him the authority to temporarily parole certain noncitizens into the United States on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Under this policy, apprehended illegal immigrants could be released into the United States without being assigned an alien registration number or given a court date.
The intention was for this new policy to replace the expiring Title 42 public health order and enable the release of illegal border crossers under “parole with conditions.”
“The policy does not contemplate that the alien would be taken into custody at the [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] facility and, as was the case with the Parole+ATD policy, aliens released under the challenged policy would not have an immigration ‘case’ that can ‘continue to be dealt with’ after the purposes of the parole have been served,” Wetherell wrote in his last-minute ruling.
The Biden administration justified the new policy as a necessary response to the “crisis at the border.” They argued that blocking the Department of Homeland Security’s parole authority at such a critical moment could lead to chaos and jeopardize the security and safety of border officials.
In response, Judge Wetherell dismissed this argument, stating that the administration’s rhetoric “lacks sincerity.” He pointed out that the problem at the border is primarily a result of the administration’s own policies, which have encouraged what is now referred to as “irregular migration,” a phenomenon that has become increasingly common over the past two years.
As Title 42 expired at midnight on Thursday, Secretary Mayorkas addressed the situation through a video statement. He emphasized that migrants who arrive at the border without utilizing a lawful pathway will not be eligible for asylum and will be subject to more severe consequences.
In the video, Mayorkas stated, “We are prepared to process and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. in a humane manner.” He urged people not to trust the false claims made by smugglers and highlighted that those who choose not to use available legal pathways to enter the country will now face harsher consequences, including a minimum five-year ban on reentry and the possibility of criminal prosecution.
Mayorkas provided information about the resources deployed at the southwest border, including 24,000 Border Patrol agents and officers, as well as a significant presence of troops, contractors, and asylum officers.
In a written statement, he reiterated, “Do not believe the lies of smugglers. The border is not open.”
Starting tonight, people who arrive at the border without using a lawful pathway will be presumed ineligible for asylum. We are ready to humanely process and remove people without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/JnpSw6793v
— Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (@SecMayorkas) May 12, 2023
But on Sunday, Mayorkas was threatening governors who were taking action to fight the intentional destruction of the Biden administration by refusing to give illegal aliens privileges and benefits that are only accorded to citizens and taxpayers.
“The immigration system is so broken that you’ve got governors taking action into their own hands,” MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart moaned. “State governments, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, recently signed a new law that targets his state’s undocumented population [editor’s note: a euphemism for illegal aliens] by making it a felony to shelter, hire or transport undocumented immigrants [see editor’s note], and requires hospitals to ask for their patients about their immigration status. What’s your reaction to this? Is that even constitutional?”
It should be noted that the U.S. Constitution only applies to American citizens and not to people around the entire planet.
“So, I will defer to the Department of Justice on the lawfulness of that type of action, but I will say this, it is a sad, and it is tragic, when government officials, people in positions of authority, to do the right thing for our country, actually use human beings as pons to score political points,” Mayorkas claimed.
Mayorkas didn’t explain why the illegal aliens were getting into the country at record-high rates to begin with.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) ripped the Biden administration’s “deliberate” mishandling of the border crisis in a Thursday visit near the Rio Grande along the United States-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas.
“We are witnessing an absolute travesty unfolding on our southern border,” Cruz said. “On Monday, we apprehended over 10,000 people on the border, the highest level in history. On Tuesday, we apprehended over 10,000 people on the border. Again, the highest level in history.”
“There are right now where we’re standing more than 22,000 people camped just south of the border, getting ready to come across,” he continued. “Just in this location, in less than a month, we’ve had over 35,000 Venezuelans cross illegally, just right here, not counting the whole rest of the border. Every day just right here. They’re encountering ninety to a hundred Chinese nationals. Now, for anyone that doesn’t have their globe nearby, China is not immediately to the south of the United States. But 90 to a hundred a day are crossing illegally on this border, being smuggled in by Mexican drug cartels.”
“And, and I have to say I am angry,” he added. “Because this is deliberate. This is a decision that was made by President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Congressional Democrats to open up the border to what is nothing less than an invasion.”
“Ask yourself: Why is President Biden not here? Why is Kamala Harris not here?” Cruz asked. “Why is Elizabeth Warren not here?”
Sen. Ted Cruz: “Why is AOC not here? She still owns the white pantsuit. Why is she not here with her head buried in her hands? They don’t give a damn about the dead bodies.” pic.twitter.com/gNOrRGa2WR
— Becker News (@NewsBecker) May 12, 2023
“Why is AOC, she still owns the white pants suit, why is she not here with her head buried in her hands?” he added. “They don’t give a damn about the dead bodies.”
“Six weeks ago I asked (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas, how many migrants died in the past year crossing illegally?’ Cruz went on. “He said, ‘I don’t know the numbers.’ 853. But he can’t be bothered to worry about that. I asked him, ‘How many women have been sexually assaulted in the last year by human traffickers?’ He said, ‘I don’t know.’ Because the administration can’t be bothered by that. I asked, ‘How many children have been physically and sexually assaulted’? Again, ‘I don’t know’.”
“We’ve seen six and a half million people cross illegally since Joe Biden became president and the administration wants six and a half million to be 10 million to be 12 million, to be 15 million, to be 20 million,” he went on. “And the body bags that pile up, they can’t be bothered to worry about. I’ll tell you, the great state of Texas is on the front lines. The volume is overwhelming. It’s got to stop.”
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OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
Source: Becker News Rephrased By: InfoArmed