- In anticipation of increased border encounters after the Title 42 health authority is lifted, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz instructed agents to release noncitizens into the U.S. because there would not be enough space to detain them, a memo obtained as part of Florida’s lawsuit against the Biden administration uncovered.
- In a recent deposition, Ortiz admitted the southern border is “currently in a crisis.” Despite that, in a May 19 memo he instructed CBP agents to release “processed noncitizens in the vicinity of nongovernmental organizations” and coordinate with NGOs in advance as to the specific locations where they’d be released, “paying particular attention to the availability of services and transportation options.”