The Trump administration has continued releasing migrants charged with being in the country illegally to non-governmental shelters along the US-Mexico border, despite warning these organizations that providing temporary housing and aid may violate a law used to prosecute smugglers. Border shelters, which have long provided lodging, meals, and transportation, were rattled by a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that raised concerns about potentially illegal activity.
The agency suggested shelters may have committed felony offenses against bringing people across the border illegally or transporting them within the US. Despite this, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continued to ask shelters in Texas and Arizona to house people, putting them in an awkward position of doing something that FEMA appeared to say might be illegal.
Shelters reported receiving increased numbers of migrants from ICE, including families with children under 18, who are generally prohibited from being held for more than 20 days. The releases have been met with concern, as shelters struggle to provide services without federal funding. In Texas, Catholic Charities closed its shelter in April due to financial losses, while the Holding Institute Community has cut staff and volunteers amid the absence of federal funding.
The Trump administration has boasted about ending the practice of releasing migrants who cross the border illegally with notices to appear in immigration court. However, those figures do not include ICE data, which is not publicly available. The releases demonstrate the close ties between shelters and federal authorities, even when senior officials publicly criticize them.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/border-shelters-laredo-phoenix-trump-releases-afc2f4d2ca786161e7bb4b03f54033fa