US to consider mass release of detained migrants over budget woes

A senior US immigration official has said that authorities plan to release thousands of migrants from detention amid a severe budget crunch.

The official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told CBS, the BBC's US partner, that between 4,000 and 6,000 migrants could be released.

A bipartisan border bill that would have funded immigration detentions collapsed last week.

More than 6.3 million migrants have entered the US illegally since 2021.

ICE is currently holding about 38,000 migrants in long-term detention facilities.