Border Patrol told the Washington Examiner its agents released more than 145,000 family members directly from its stations between March and September 2019, the months that had the highest levels of arrests. People who were released would have been allowed to go anywhere in the country, including those who were not seeking asylum. Customs and Border Protection, under which Border Patrol is housed, does not release data on the number of arrestees who go on to seek asylum, though Department of Homeland Security officials shared last year that it was a low percentage.

Border Patrol made the unusual move last March of releasing people directly from its custody rather than turning people over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE cited two issues that made it difficult to hold families: it lacked the bed space and a 2015 court ruling blocked it from detaining families more than 20 days.

Because the 145,000 family members released by Border Patrol were not transferred to ICE, they were released with a legal document known as a notice to appear.