Immigration enforcement practices. This is about two hours and ten minutes. Thank you for your patience and willingness to stay until 4 00 oclock. We appreciate it. Today we welcome matthew albans, the u. S. Immigration and custos enforcement. They stand for being here this afternoon. As we continue to monitor the challenging situation on the southern border, we look forward to hearing your perspective on the funding priority and requirements. As cheers of the subcommittee, i am committed to ensuring the integrity and strengthening integration system. But i am equally committed to making sure we do so, according to a way that is a bullfight our american values. In particular, we must assure in accordance with our values, both violence and persecution have meaningful opportunities to seek asylum. We must get this balance right and i believe that we can if we Work Together. Its a choice to believe that more migrants need to be unnecessarily detained and cruel and exclusionary immigration laws need to be enacted in order to increase security in our country. Our own constitution, federal law and several international agreements, serve as a foundation for the rights and protection, i believe we can be embodied in our efforts to address the humanitarian crises that are currently experience you. Unfortunate, the rhetoric and the policies of this ministrationise have made achieg that balance more difficult. And by all indications have exacerbated our challenges at the border. We must also be mindful of the resource limitation that we fa face, there is likely no area of her bill where we have sufficient resources to fully address no requirements. For instance, we have barely cracked the service to address the flow of Illegal Drugs in the transit zone or to protect our sovereign interest in the arctic. Detention is a very expensive option and should be reserved for cases of Public Safety or flight risk is a valid concern. When Public Safety is not a concern i should use alternatives. When used as intended with appropriate management and alternatives to detention have proven to be effective in mitigating flight risk and improving compliance with Immigration Court requirements. For those detention is appropriate, i remain seriously concerned about substandard conditions at ice detention facilities. In addition to what i have personally witnessed, we continue to get alerts from the media, the office of inspector general, the government accountable the office and advocacy organizations about detention facilities that do not meet minimum standards but are nevertheless allowed to continue operating. Preventing these inhumane o conditions can only be achieved if ice leadership makes clear that anything less is unacceptable. And will have consequent this. I will continue to work with ice to ensure that this happens. On a more positive e note, i wat to highlight good work the ice does in areas of combating Human Trafficking, human smuggling, child exultation in the smuggling of fentanyl and other opioids. In the fiscal year 2019 appropriation, the subcommittee provided Additional Resources to Homeland Security investigation for these efforts. This is a great example of f where we have worked together to accomplish shared goals and we have sustained these efforts and our fiscal year 2020 bill. Lastly, i want to followup on the letter i sent you on july 12 about increased interior enforcement operations. I requested that you submit for the record today, the written policies and procedures which i described in that letter. This kind of transparency is very important. For us to better understand how isis leadership expects the frontline officers and agents to operate. I understand that you have submitted documents in response, i thank you for that and i look forward to reviewing them and will followup accordingly. Before he turned to the director of a summary of his written statement, they will include in the hearing record that i first recognized our distinguished Ranking Member for any remarks he wishes to make. Thank you, madam chair. I am going to keep my remarks very brief as i know wen have been delayed by votes. Welcome director. Thank you for your time and your testimony before the subcommittee today. There has been a lot of change in leadership positions at the department in recent months and it is reassuring to me to have an acting director which for years really decades, of experience at the home. Thank you for assuming the awesome responsibility of waiting is Law Enforcement and Homeland Security agency. I very much appreciated the other day with you and your most able staff to visit the update, help me too understand exactly where we are and where we are going, again i thank you for your hard work. I look forward to working with you and i look forward to your testimony today. I yield back. The order which members will be covered questioning will be based onn the seniority when the hearing was called to order. Alternating between majority and minority members. Also to ensure everyone has ample opportunity to ask questions, i asked the each member stay within the allotted five minutes per round. Director, please begin your statement. Good afternoon chairwoman Ranking Member and distinguished members of the subcommittee. As you are aware, United States is currently facing an unprecedented National Security and humanitarian crisis at herself as border. For the pastas year, a number of alien temper headed at this Office Porter has increased significantly. Today however, i am here to address other parts of immigrationn system the remainig desperate need of resources and funding as well as the legislation that will help put an end to the current war in crisis once and for all. The fact is, the majority of aliens encountered at or near the border are released into the interior of the United States were removal proceedings and Immigration Courts currently have a backlog of 900,000 cases and growing. The dedicated officers and agents are responsible for managing these cases as well of those of more than 300 aliens on docket. Many aliens do not appear for removal proceedings violate the terms to detention program. And failed to appear for the hearing or comply with removal orders. The result is that the border crisis has become a national crisis. It requires a strong interior that uncertainty to orders by Immigration Judges. The reality is, if our immigration laws are only enforced at the border, and you failed to provide adequate resources to ensure that those proceed with immigration process, and if order removed, or actually removed the entire system will break down. This will continue to serve as a magnet to legally enter the country. With a semi, ine come to ask for your assistance in providing ice that funding that it desperately needs to address the humanitarian crisis also the concurrent National Security and Public Safety crises. While isis Immigration Enforcement is focused on the interior, the Current Situation darkly impacts this agency and its resource requirements. Cbp, 780,633 quarters include more than 300,000 aliens and the rest on company children. Notably, in the last few months i so has been forced to release where the 250,000 members of families into the interior of the United States due to the agreement. Isis resources have been overburdened by the cbp apprehended that this Office Porter and congress has repeated failure for transportation requirements at levels. Ice is currently detaining over 53000 single adult in approximately 8000 single adults and cbp custody awaiting to be tran3 to ice. Very limited detention capacity, ice much reserve detention space for those who require mandated detention along with those who pose a National SecurityPublic Safety or flight risk. However, based on increased enforcement activity, additional ice capacity and transportation funding is urgently needed. To ensure the security and safety of the United States, and the faithful execution of immigration laws passed by congress, ice must conduct actions against any alieny which is in violation of the law. Despite what is been reported, these are indiscriminate raids or sweeps, instead, isis operations are carefully planned based on person specific intelligence leads forcing on those of a threat as well as those who have received an order of removal from an immigration judge. Approximately 90 of arrest in the interior of this country are aliens that have prior convictions, face pending criminal charges, fugitives, previously been removed from the country and have illegally reentered. Which is a federal felony the ice. Prosecutes. The crisis on the border is negatively impacted the interior Enforcement Mission and that is a Public Safety of our communities. Resources dedicated to removing dangerous credit under criminals from the street have a workload study from the border search resulting in over 14 decrease in criminal alien arrest this fiscal year. Additionally, ice has reassigned members of operation teams to manage the daca to help her sworn to the border crisis. The failure to increase funding over the course of the last decade has created a magistrate of specific aliens who have failed to comply with orders or conditions including those of atb. Without sufficient numbers and operation officers to search for interest aliens who fail to comply as well as sufficient detention space to be detained once arrested, they will continue to offer very little benefit for its cost. Additional resources are also requested an fy 22 ensure the principal Legal Advisor the statutory responsibility to prosecute administrative cases for the courts. More critically, and most critically, i like to highlight legislative changes that urgently needed. To be clear, the fy 20 budget request only provides the necessary funding and resources for ice to address the symptoms of the crisis. It does not have any resources solve the problem. Legislative changes are the only vital option to put an end to the crisis in the victimization looking for a better life and starving the cartel and Transnational Criminal Organizations since of illicit enterprises. After the changes, current laws continue to be exploited and the factors will only result in more illegal immigration and the manager crisis. We ask you to one, terminate the flores Settlement Agreement and the Detention Authority with respect alien minors. Amend the traffic from victim reauthorization act to provide for the prompt repatriation who are not victims of Human Trafficking and do not express fearar of returning to the home country. In address the credible fear stated. The current standard has proven to be s ineffective. Ng by requiring the conclusion of immigration proceedings, wellintentioned Court Rulings by being exploited. Theyve created and attired illicit industry with millions of dollars be made to the sale, rental and recycling of children utilized by adult to pose as family units. Despite this activity home and security has reassigned hundreds edof special agent to Border Patrol facilities. The same loopholes also occurred illegal immigration is a Record Number indicates. These are not talking point. These are facts based on over 5 years and they represent the major challenges we are currently facing by ice. Every day the dedicated courageous professional women of ice worked for Homeland Security and Public Safety by executing the laws establish by congress to protect the integrity incredibly over countrys borders. As well as a nationall e securiy and safety of the national white. The increase in the flow of Illegal Migrants in the change in those arriving at her border are putting the migrants, particularly Young Children at risk of harm from smugglers, traffickers, criminals and the dangers of the difficult journeb in placing pressure on her entire immigration system. Ultimately, to solve the border crisis we must work collectively to ensure the take gertie as asy whole. Creating a pull factor ultimately drives more people to drive to the United States and more illegal activity and delays justice for those for claims of assignment. For the nation laws, we owe it to the citizens of our country to remainen the integrity of a serious and Ongoing National crisis. Day in and day out, the women and men have worked tirelessly with are mini resources to ensue the safety and security of our country. Theyve done this despite the mentation, personal tax, and the toll it takes on their families and personal lives. They do their jobs under the law passed by congress. A crisis that does not and, a change that is needed in your responsibility as movers of congress to act. Thank you again for letting me testify. Im honoreded and humbled. I askede you provide the funding in fy 2020 budget and i look forward to questions. As you know, we have serious concerns about isis ability to manage its budget within the memes provided by congress, the lack of transparency of how ice executes its budget and exacerbates are concerned and continuing resolution, operations continue at the level funded of the prior year appropriation. For the current year, that means ice should maintain an average population of 40520 during the cran period. And yet for the First Quarter ice detention bed surged on 34000 to over 46000. And this was before ae significant migrant search at the border. During the period of the cr did ice make any attempt to operate within the funding levels provided by congress in the operations and if so, what specific actions did it take . Thank you, madam chairwoman. We continually look to utilize our detention resources in the most efficient manner as possible. Obstructions to offices continually look at the population to ensure that those individuals that are detained in the most appropriate for detention. Many of those individuals currently detained are individuals that are mandated and must be detained by law. 74 of the individuals that are currently in ice custody are subject to mediatory detention under the immigration and nationality act. The vast majority are individuals who are Public Safety threat who are gang members orr individuals who may not reach the mandatory detention fro threshold but we t they are appropriate for detention and not appropriate for any release back into the community. With regard to your question on cr, the numbers we had an uptic. In the mid part of last summer and continue to rise in the fall, that the level we have seen unfortunately during fy 19. The wholesale kitchen really system which would create more incentives for them to come illegally, we made a decision to detain as many people as we possibly could to p help prevena rush on the border. Unfortunate, the numbers continue to come as a result that many of those people can be detained because their family units. To betterald understand howe budgets for separation, the report that accompanied the fy 2019 appropriation, it directed ice to brief the committee on a detailed plan for operating within its budget. This was due 60 days after the date of enactment and was to be provided monthly thereafter. The first repeat was due by april 16, to date we have not received even one and by now we should have received for. Why have they failed to comply with this briefing directive . Ill have to look into that specifispecific. We are holding weekly migration calls with the four corners staff duringne which both cbp ad ice provide detailed information with regard to the ongoing a operations to include funding execution. We have posted a lot of material on her website and i have requirements and we will go through them and have a detailed response on each one. Just as a followup, the Department Funding transfer authority exist to address unforeseeable and unavoidable circumstances. But it seems clear to me the ice operate with full expectation that it will be bailed out by the transfer authority that it has or some other means but the acting ice director for the coming fiscal year, i hope the you can commit to operating within the funding levels that is appropriated by congress. I certainly will do my best to do so. I tell you, we have numerousio budget meetings with decisions made all the time to what operations we will have to curtail or what funding and initiatives we might not do as a result of limited funding. Our detention modeling has been accurate for the past three or four years, the model that we utilize, we asked for 2000 beds. How do we receive that money as requested, shortfall. Just as a reminder, as we move forward, appropriation bills are also laws. Including continuing resolution with no Less Authority than the immigration and nationality act. In the authority ofls appropriation bills is arrived directly from article one, clause seven of the u. S. Constitution. I quote no moneyn should be dran from the treasury but in consequence of the procreation may by law. But when Congress Enacts the appropriation bills, is delayed informed analysis provided by the Appropriation Committee on to target the use of limited resources, i just want t