In a letter sent to the director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by Representative Henry Cuellar on Thursday, he asked questions about the hundreds of undocumented immigrants seeking asylum who are being released from South Texas family detention centers, and why local communities were not being notified.
Cuellar told the director, Sarah R. Saldana, that the burden of a broken immigration system is not one that can be borne by border communities. Almost half a million in immigration humanitarian aid has had to be spent by McAllen since 2014, and the federal government has not reimbursed the city. Although Cuellar did not mention McAllen in the news release he issued in regards to his letter to the ICE director, he did talk about it with Senator, John Cornyn during last month’s trip to the Anzalduas International Bridge.
Cuellar says that, in most instances, the burden of giving resources and shelter to undocumented immigrants allowed to go free into the US falls on non-governmental organizations and local governments. He added that he has asked Saldana if ICE has any policies in place on the advance notification to local governments of the release of such immigrants, and whether they have taken any steps to make sure that they have appropriate travel arrangements.
Cuellar goes on to say that if a clear policy does not exist in ICE to notify local governments, then he intends to introduce an amendment requiring one in the future, in their next budget.