Central ND News

Under the Biden administration, the United States has experienced what is described as the worst border crisis in American history. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported over 7.8 million encounters with illegal immigrants at the southwest border over the past three years, with more than 9.5 million encounters nationwide. At the beginning of President Biden's term, he signed a series of executive orders that rolled back former President Donald Trump's border security measures, leading to an increase in illegal border crossings.

Recent reports indicate that the administration granted thousands of illegal immigrants "mass amnesty" by terminating more than 350,000 asylum cases within two years. This practice was initiated by a 2022 memo from ICE Principal Legal Adviser Kerry Doyle, which instructed agency prosecutors to advise immigration judges on nonpriority cases suitable for dismissal. Consequently, 102,550 cases were dismissed in 2022, followed by 149,000 in 2023, and 113,843 cases in the first four months of 2024—compared to just over 26,000 during the entire Trump administration. Since 2021, according to a study published by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, 77% of asylum seekers have been allowed to remain in the United States.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) led his colleagues in sending an oversight letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland. The letter questions the administration’s dismissal of these asylum cases and highlights what it describes as an erosive effect on the U.S. legal immigration system.

The letter seeks transparency and accountability while requesting detailed responses regarding immigration and border security management. The senators raised several concerns about reported figures' accuracy, justification for what they call a "precedent-breaking" surge in dismissals, and measures to prevent this policy from incentivizing illegal immigration and compromising national security.

“This administration’s approach has consistently downplayed the severity of the border crisis,” wrote Senator Cramer and his colleagues. “Initially denying its existence, then reluctantly acknowledging it, and now attempting to address it through inadequate measures.” They further criticized: “The repeated failures in border management under your leadership have led to an unprecedented backlog of 3.5 million asylum cases.”

“The American people deserve transparency and accountability regarding the administration’s handling of immigration and border security,” concluded the senators. “The current state of affairs at our southern border is unacceptable and demands immediate and effective solutions.”

Additional cosigners include U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mike Lee (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Cornyn (R-TX), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Tim Scott (R-SC) and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

Click here for the letter