The crowded courtroom reeked of stale sweat, and 92 immigrants filled all five benches, leaving standing room only for visitors and court personnel.
“It’s packed in there,” said one of a dozen guards and deputy marshals stationed at the courtroom this week. “This is what it’s going to be like from now on — no more ‘catch and release.’ ”
That’s how opponents of illegal immigration, including President Trump, have long condemned the policy of releasing migrants with pending court cases. But under a policy the Trump administration announced last week, migrants caught crossing the border illegally are charged in federal criminal court, including those without criminal records and parents traveling with small children….