The catch-and-release migrant programs created by President Joe Biden and endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris have increased national security risks, according to the independent watchdog that oversees the Department of Homeland Security.
The DHS Office of Inspector General released a report last week finding that Customs and Border Protection is releasing noncitizens without identification into the United States, contrary to federal law, in a manner that “inadvertently increases national security risks.” The same report also found that the Transportation Security Administration then lets these same unidentified noncitizens onto airplanes, where they are free to fly wherever they wish in the U.S.
According to the report, CBP encountered 2.4 million migrants on the southern border in fiscal 2023, and most of them were released into the country. By law, the report notes, “noncitizens without identification are not admissible into the country and shall be detained.” This is also true for noncitizens without grounds for legal entry regardless of whether they have identification. The Biden-Harris administration, however, releases migrants with no legal right to enter the country anyway by abusing the law’s parole power.