The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is flying border crossers and illegal aliens into cities across the United States and releasing them directly into American communities, reports claim.

A report by the Associated Press (AP) states that aside from DHS releasing nearly 200,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into about four American communities since December 2018, the agency is flying border crossers and illegal aliens into U.S. cities and then releasing them:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has historically ensured that families had travel plans before releasing them, but last year it shortened custody stays in response to the growing numbers of arrivals from Mexico. They began dropping migrants off in cities along the border at burgeoning shelters and bus stations. [Emphasis added] At the same time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which turns over border crossers to ICE after arresting them, has begun flying migrants to other cities for processing and is releasing them directly into communities without going through ICE, saying their own facilities are at capacity. [Emphasis added] As numbers have swelled in border cities, authorities have begun looking farther inland. [Emphasis added]

Similarly, a report by the New York Times detailed similar cases where DHS has started flying border crossers and illegal aliens into the interior of the U.S. before releasing them.

The Times reported:

Customs and Border Protection officials said they began flying migrant families from overcrowded facilities in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to San Diego on Tuesday. It is expected that as many as three flights, each carrying up to 135 migrants, will be scheduled each week. [Emphasis added] The agency also recently started flying migrants five times each week from the Rio Grande Valley to Del Rio, Tex. Nearly all of the migrants are traveling as families, including some with young children. [Emphasis added]

As Breitbart News has chronicled, DHS has ramped up its catch and release of thousands of border crossers and illegal aliens since the end of 2018. Between May 14 and May 21, DHS released about 7,900 border crossers and illegal aliens into about five American communities — including San Antonio, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.

The catch and release process often entails federal immigration officials busing border crossers into nearby border cities and dropping them off with the hope that they show up for their immigration and asylum hearings. The overwhelming majority of border crossers and illegal aliens are never deported from the country once they are released into the U.S.

Today, there are anywhere between 11 and 22 million illegal aliens living across the country — the majority of which are concentrated in states like California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Illinois.

This past week, Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan admitted that the agency is merely acting as a checkpoint for border crossers and illegal aliens to make their way into the country. In congressional testimony, McAleenan said his agency is releasing “100 percent” of adult border crossers who arrive with children at the U.S.-Mexico border and giving them work permits shortly thereafter.

By the end of the year, DHS will have released more than 445,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into American communities should catch and release continue — in addition to the projected half a million illegal aliens who are expected to successfully cross the U.S.-Mexico border this year, undetected by federal officials.

DHS did not respond to request for comment in time for this publication.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.