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Border security

Border Patrol set ‘bookout’ targets to bring migrant

custody numbers to ‘manageable’ levels amid new surge
Sectors have found themselves near or at full capacity
By Adam Shaw Fox News

Published September 12, 2023 1:25pm EDT

Biden called out over border crisis: These small communities are overwhelmed
Former Acting ICE Director Tom Homan provides insight on responding to illegal immigration on Lawrence Jones Cross Country.

FIRST ON FOX : Border Patrol leadership last month set daily "bookout" targets for its
sectors in order to keep escalating numbers of migrants in custody at a "manageable"
level -- including potentially increasing releases into the U.S. interior -- as agents continue
to see a rise in numbers at the southern border.

An internal Aug. 8 email from an acting deputy chief to Border Patrol field chiefs and
deputies says that sectors are facing an influx that is outpacing the numbers of migrants
being either released or transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for
removal.

The email obtained by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office, says daily
,

encounters "[continue] to surpass the daily permanent bookouts and the in-custody
numbers continue to rise creating significant risks to agents and detainees."

"This level of detention numbers has also resulted in increased manpower requirements
impacting border security efforts."

BORDER PATROL UNION HEAD SAYS REPORTED BIDEN PLAN TO KEEP MIGRANTS IN
TEXAS WON'T HELP AGENTS

A group of migrants who have crossed into the US from Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas listen to instructions given by a Border
Patrol Agent on August 25, 2023. ((Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images))

Consequently, the agency proposes "daily bookout targets" per sector "to bring in-custody
numbers to manageable levels" based on 7-day averages. It then says that, if
"consequence pathways" such as expedited removal are not available, then releasing
migrants with Notices to Appear (NTA/OR) at a future court date should be used.

"We respectfully request that you urgently use these bookout targets to formalize your
daily processing pathway plans, to include transitioning to NTA/OR when consequence
pathways are not sufficient."

The memo says that those released should be enrolled in Alternatives to Detention "where
operationally feasible."

GOP GRILLS BIDEN ADMIN ON ‘HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS’ ENDANGERED MUSSEL DECISION

THAT MIGHT HALT BORDER BUOYS

The email was obtained by Moody’s office as part of ongoing litigation. Florida is suing the
administration over its release of migrants into the interior. It successfully blocked a policy
by which migrants were released without court dates due to overcrowding pending an
ongoing challenge. In a statement, she suggested the move marked the implementation of
"mass release quotas" for migrants.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is suing the Biden administration over its policies of releasing migrants into the
U.S. interior. ((Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images))

"This latest email is further proof of the disastrous cycle created by Biden’s intentional
destruction of our border with Mexico. Biden cuts resources, opens the border, and then
releases detainees while claiming there is not enough detention capacity to prevent the
unprecedented flood of migrants entering the country because of his terrible policies," she
said.

"With every passing day it is becoming more obvious that the border crisis is being
intentionally orchestrated by the Biden administration. We will continue to do everything in
our power to push back and let the American people know what Biden is doing."

However, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told Fox News Digital that
Border Patrol has "merely directed sectors to process individuals faster into the range of
immigration pathways available, in order to address increasing numbers of individuals in
custody."

"These bookouts include processing record numbers of migrants into Expedited Removal
and conducting record numbers of removal flights," the spokesperson said.

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Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border
security.

He can be reached at adam.shaw2@fox.com or on Twitter .

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