Border Patrol released hundreds of immigrant families over the weekend. According to officials, many were apprehended along the Arizona/Mexico border in large groups, with over 100 people, mainly immigrants from Guatemala dropped off at a Tucson church.
The release of almost 700 immigrants, primarily parents with children or pregnant women, seems to be part of a nationwide directive, Catholic Community Services’ Teresa Cavendish said. More immigrants were released in Yuma, with Phoenix also expected to be a release point. Parents posing no threat to national security or public safety are being released with their children due to a dearth of bed space available for families. They must give the address of their destination in the US, and report to local immigration officers close to that destination in the first few weeks of their release for the processing of their cases to continue.
Many of the immigrants released in Tucson say they had arrived at the US border between five-to-ten days earlier and held at several different detention facilities before meeting with immigration officials. Some of the immigrants were given a GPS ankle tracker.
Cavendish said that volunteers help the immigrants with getting to friends or family members who are can get them bus tickets. She added that the currently overwhelmed bus system, affected by recent storms, as well as the sheer number of families, is proving a challenge.