A migrant program created by President Joe Biden and endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris that promotes a policy of catch and release is increasing national security risks, according to a report from an inspector general overseeing the Department of Homeland Security.
Customs and Border Protection is releasing noncitizens without identification into the United States, a report from the DHS Office of Inspector General said. The report revealed the Transportation Security Administration lets migrants get on airplanes, allowing them to fly freely throughout the United States.
CBP dealt with 2.4 million migrants on the southern border in fiscal year 2023 and released most of them into the country, according to the report. Federal law requires the migrants to be detained, though they have been released into the country under the Biden administration.
While their data is entered into a DHS database to check for past criminal convictions, it only has access to data from countries the U.S. has partnered with, the Washington Examiner reported.
The DHS has no access to criminal data from countries like Mexico, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and China, the Examiner reported.
There is nothing stopping migrants from giving customs agents a fake name, according to the report. DHS officials failed to respond when asked how many migrants had been released into the country without identification, saying they don't even collect that information.
"Immigration officers we interviewed acknowledged the risks of allowing noncitizens without ID into the country," the report noted.