Biden administration’s CBP revives ‘catch and release’ policy at border amid COVID concerns

A perfect storm of events has the Biden administration’s Customs and Border Protection on its heels in parts of Texas, forcing the agency to begin releasing newly arrived illegal immigrants back into U.S. cities as part of a policy known as "catch and release."

This is the first time since the surge of 2019 that CBP has been compelled to revive the controversial policy.

It raises concerns the Biden administration's softer, more welcoming approach will trigger a wave of migrants from Central America that could overwhelm the agency's limited detention capacity.

This week, President Biden signed immigration-related executive orders, which included revoking then-President Trump’s order ending the so-called "catch and release" policy.

CBP said three factors led to the decision to release illegal immigrant families: an increase of migrant traffic, specifically families from Central America and unaccompanied children; Mexico's refusal to accept additional families with children under age 12 in areas where migrants camps grow increasingly large, overwhelming the shelter and services; and COVID-19, which has severely reduced Border Patrol detention and transport capacity.

This week, the U.S. said it would add 700 beds for unaccompanied minors at a shelter in Carizzo Springs, Texas, along with 500 additional beds at a processing facility in Donna, also in Texas.