Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) today sent a letter to the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Sarah R. Saldaña, seeking answers about the release of hundreds of asylum-seeking immigrants from family detention centers in South Texas, without notifying local communities.

“Hundreds of asylum-seeking immigrants, mostly women and children from Central America, are being released from family detention centers in South Texas, where they are free to go with relatives or sponsors while they await their asylum hearing before an immigration judge.

“In many instances, local governments and non-governmental organizations are left with the burden of having to provide shelter and resources to those who are released in the United States.

“In my letter, I have asked Director Saldaña what policy ICE has to provide advance notice and coordination between ICE and local governments when releasing immigrants from detention. I have also asked what steps ICE takes to ensure these immigrants have the appropriate travel arrangements in place to minimize the amount of time spent in public transportation hubs. If ICE does not have a clear policy to provide advance notice to local governments, I will introduce an amendment in their budget to make sure it is a requirement from now on

“Border communities cannot bear the burden of a broken immigration system. That is why I successfully fought to bring forth 55 more immigration judges across the country to help with the tremendous backlog of cases we have in our immigration courts, and $750 million in aid for Central America specifically to help reduce the migration of unaccompanied children and asylum-seekers to the United States.

“I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress and local communities to make sure we secure our borders to reduce illegal immigration while also making sure immigrants who are apprehended are treated fairly while they are in the U.S. immigration system.”