Sessions’ new clamp at border

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday announced strict new security measures against undocumented immigrants who commit crimes or repeatedly enter the United States illegally.

He also said the administration would add 125 immigration judges over the next two years to cut into a steep backlog of cases.

“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 after a tour of the ArizonaMexico border.

“The lawlessness, the abdication of duty to enforce our laws and the catchand-release policies of the past are over,” he added.

“They threaten the very integrity of our nations and our hemisphere. It is here on this sliver of land, on this border, where we first take our stand. It is a direct threat to our legal system and to our peace and prosperity,” he said.

Putting into action many of President Trump’s campaign promises, Sessions ordered federal prosecutors to pursue charges against illegal immigrants with criminal histories or with cartel and gang affiliations.

Sessions said all adult illegal immigrants caught at the border will be detained, and he ordered a “surge” of 25 immigration judges to detention centers along the border to support the effort.

Sessions said 125 more immigration judges would be added over the next two years to “reduce the significant backlog in our immigration courts . . . backlogs and catch-and-release policies have undermined the effectiveness of our law officers’ work.”

Trump’s presidency, he noted, has reduced illegal border crossings substantially.

Crossings fell by 40 percent from January to February — and in March showed a 72 percent drop from the month before, the lowest figure in 17 years, Sessions said.