Almost a year after a mammoth public relations campaign was launched by the Obama administration with the intention of dispelling rumors that immigrant families illegally crossing the US border receive a free pass, the effort appears to be failing. This is according to internal intelligence files from the Department of Homeland Security.
Hundreds of immigrant families apprehended crossing the border between the United States and Mexico between July and September this year have informed US immigration agents that one of the reasons they were motivated to risk making the dangerous trip was because they thought they would be allowed to remain in the United States and receive government assistance, such as benefits.
Federal agents conducted the interviews with the undocumented immigrants in the hope of enlightening the Obama administration as to why there has been a baffling surge in the amount of immigrants crossing the border over the course of the last few months. Attempts to stop or at least slow down the influx have included running public service campaigns in Central American countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to highlight the risky nature of the journey.
181 of those interviewed claim they were influenced to make the trek by reports of families being released from detention. “This internal Border Patrol document shows that the Obama administration’s lax immigration policies are the culprit for the ongoing surge at our borders,” claims Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte.
