The U.S. Justice Department
released the below information:
Attorney General Jeff
Sessions today notified all U.S. Attorney’s Offices along the Southwest Border
of a new “zero-tolerance policy” for offenses under 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a), which
prohibits both attempted illegal entry and illegal entry into the United States
by an alien. The implementation of the Attorney General’s zero-tolerance policy
comes as the Department of Homeland Security reported a 203 percent increase in
illegal border crossings from March 2017 to March 2018, and a 37 percent
increase from February 2018 to March 2018—the largest month-to-month increase
since 2011.
“The situation at our
Southwest Border is unacceptable. Congress has failed to pass effective
legislation that serves the national interest—that closes dangerous loopholes
and fully funds a wall along our southern border. As a result, a crisis has
erupted at our Southwest Border that necessitates an escalated effort to
prosecute those who choose to illegally cross our border,” said Attorney
General Jeff Sessions. “To those who wish to challenge the Trump
Administration’s commitment to public safety, national security, and the rule
of law, I warn you: illegally entering this country will not be rewarded, but
will instead be met with the full prosecutorial powers of the Department of Justice.
To the Department’s prosecutors, I urge you: promoting and enforcing the rule
of law is vital to protecting a nation, its borders, and its citizens. You play
a critical part in fulfilling these goals, and I thank you for your continued
efforts in seeing to it that our laws—and as a result, our nation—are
respected.”
On April 11, 2017, Attorney
General Jeff Sessions announced a renewed commitment to criminal immigration
enforcement. As part of that announcement, the Attorney General issued a memorandum
to all federal prosecutors and directed them to prioritize the prosecution of
certain criminal immigration offenses.
Today’s zero-tolerance policy
further directs each U.S. Attorney’s Office along the Southwest Border (i.e.,
Southern District of California, District of Arizona, District of New Mexico,
Western District of Texas, and the Southern District of Texas) to adopt a
policy to prosecute all Department of Homeland Security referrals of section
1325(a) violations, to the extent practicable.
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