The chief of the U.S. Border Patrol declares the southern border to be a “potential threat to national security,” citing the recent escape of 140,000 undocumented migrants.
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Described as a “threat to national security,” the predicament at the southern border raised worries about the large number of migrants who have successfully avoided being caught by authorities.entered the country
Over the course of the last five months, I have been covertly operating.
Owens stated that the Border Patrol is nearing one million recorded apprehensions of migrants between ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border for the 2024 fiscal year, which began in October. He also mentioned that the agency is on pace to record two million apprehensions for the third year in a row by the end of the fiscal year in September.
In his initial interview as Chief of the Border Patrol, Owens expressed concern over the large quantity of 140,000 known individuals who have successfully crossed into the United States without being caught, despite being detected by cameras and sensors.
Recent statistics indicate that a small portion of immigrants processed by the Border Patrol have previous criminal records in the U.S. or in other countries that share information with American authorities. An even smaller percentage have been found guilty of severe offenses. Existing data and research also suggest that undocumented migrants in the country do not engage in criminal activities at a higher rate than citizens who were born in the U.S.
However, there are concerns from high-ranking law enforcement figures such as FBI director Christopher Wray, regarding the exploitation of record-breaking levels of migration at the United States’ southern border over the past three years, by potential terrorists and other criminal individuals.
During the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, Border Patrol recorded record-breaking numbers of over two million arrests of individuals who entered the southern border without authorization.
According to Owens, the significant influx of individuals coming into the United States is primarily caused by cartels.
When questioned about whether the cartels are determining the standards for conducting operations at the southern border, Owens confirmed that they indeed are.
A long-term employee of the Border Patrol for over 25 years, Owens became the agency’s top leader in June 2023 after Raul Ortiz retired. Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, praised Owens as a skilled, dedicated, and motivational leader upon his promotion.
During his CBS News interview at the headquarters of CBP in Washington, Owens also advocated for stronger immigration measures in order to decrease the influx of migrants at the southern border.
He expressed concerns about the consequences, such as imprisonment, deportation, and permanent banning from reentry, for those who choose to enter the country illegally instead of following the established legal procedures.
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Source: cbsnews.com