Republican lawmakers push measure to end catch-and-release policies

As massive numbers of migrants inundate America's southern border, a group of House GOP lawmakers is pushing legislation that would put the kibosh on catch-and-release policies.

"Catch and release is incentivizing historic levels of illegal immigration, stretching Border Patrol resources thin, and making our communities unsafe," Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who introduced the legislation, said, according to a press release. "My legislation restores integrity in our immigration system by explicitly prohibiting DHS from paroling or otherwise releasing illegal aliens into the country. DHS can either detain the illegal alien or require them to remain outside the United States while their claim is pending. We must maintain operational control of the southern border and this legislation gets us closer to that."

Cosponsors for the commonsense measure include Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, W. Gregory Steube of Florida, Randy Weber of Texas, Doug Lamborn of Colorado, Bob Good of Virginia, Mary E. Miller of Illinois, Jody Hice of Georgia, Michael Cloud of Texas, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin.

"This is exactly what the GOP should be passing immediately after taking back the House," Boebert tweeted on Thursday.

Last year, Biggs put forward articles of impeachment targeting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

In a letter earlier this year, Biggs and dozens of other House GOP lawmakers called for Mayorkas to resign.

Similarly, more than a dozen Republican state attorneys general joined together in a letter earlier this year calling for the DHS chief to resign.

GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri is also calling for Mayorkas to step down. "Your intentional disregard for our country’s immigration laws makes you unfit to remain in office. You should resign," Hawley declared in a September 21 letter to Mayorkas.