U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in Nogales, April 11, 2017.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the U.S.-Mexican border in Nogales Tuesday promised to intensify the crackdown on illegal immigration, drug smuggling and transnational gang activities.
Sessions outlined a series of changes that he said mark a concerted effort to rid U.S. cities and the border of what he described as "filth" brought on by drug cartels.
“With the president’s executive order on border security, transnational criminal organizations and public safety as our guidepost, we will execute a strategy that once again secures our border,” he said, speaking to Border Patrol officers and the news media.
“For those that continue to seek improper and illegal entry into this country be forewarned: This is a new era. This is the Trump era," Sessions said. "The lawlessness, the abdication of duty to enforce our laws and the catch-and-release policies of the past are over.”
He said his plan includes holding adults caught crossing the border illegally and adding dozens of judges to the nation's immigration courts to handle an expected expansion of the caseload.
“We will now be detaining all adults who are apprehended at the border," Sessions said. "They will not be released.”
He said he would order U.S. attorneys across the country, not just in the border region, to designate a prosecutor in each of their offices to handle immigration crimes and related matters.
He also said all 94 U.S. attorneys will be told to "make assault on federal officers a priority (for prosecution). If someone dares to assault one of our officers on duty, they will do federal time for it."
He pointed out that illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexican border were the lowest they have been in years. The numbers have been dropping steadily for several years, attributed to a number of factors, including increased enforcement and an improved Mexican economy allowing more people to find work there.
But Sessions cited declines each month this year, including a 72 percent reduction in March from February.
"This is no accident," he said. "This is what happens when you have a president who makes it a priority."
A small group of demonstrators holding signs and chanting in protest of Sessions and U.S. immigration policy stood outside the Border Patrol compound during and after his remarks.
“He is absolutely saying that everyone that crosses the border is a criminal, which is not true,” said Sandy Ochoa, a protester who said she was with the voting rights group Mi Familia Vota.
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