exclusive: Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens says he's “excited” that President Trump's border czar Tom Homan will take command of deportation and border security, one of the biggest threats facing Venezuela. He singled out the violent Venezuelan gang Torren de Aragua. .
Owens, who took over as secretary last year, spoke to Fox News' Griff Jenkins in San Antonio, Texas, in his first interview since the election. He was asked what he thought about the appointment of Homan, a former Border Patrol agent and former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We're excited because Tom Homan is a Border Patrol brother. He served in this uniform, so we're excited to see another member of our Green family in action.” he said. “And I'm looking forward to seeing what he does.”
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Migrants encountered in Arizona at the southern border. (U.S. Border Patrol)
“We can say that domestic crackdowns and deportations are consequential. They are the result of not following our laws and entering our country in the correct way,” he said.
Tensions continue between the Biden administration and Border Patrol agents over its response to the crisis at the southern border. The Border Patrol union has been a vocal critic of the administration and supported the Trump campaign during the presidential campaign.
Owens took office as chief in a year of record encounters on the southern border. He said it has been “tough” for border officials to deal with the past four years. The number has fallen sharply in recent days, in part due to the proclamation restricting asylum signed by President Biden in June, but it is unclear whether the number will remain low for an extended period of time.
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Owens warned that cartels are adjusting their tactics to avoid new challenges such as increased technology, fentanyl and violent Venezuelan immigrant gangs as two of the biggest threats cartels are focusing on. of Torren de Aragua.
“This is a very serious threat to us,” he said of Torren de Aragua (TdA). “Like fentanyl, this is one of our top priorities. Tomorrow it may be different, but today it's one of the biggest threats to the people of this country. are TdA and fentanyl.”
The gang has been linked to a number of high-profile crimes across the United States and has expanded its presence and criminal activities to multiple states, including Colorado, where it has reportedly taken over numerous apartment buildings. .
Owens also pointed to the unknowns facing agents, including the 250,000 people fleeing at the border.
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“We need to get them to come to our door. It's unclear and what their intentions are is what scares me the most, and maybe other law enforcement and border security experts who are going to ask there as well. That's why they're there.'' Why don't they use the front door to come in? And what are they planning to do that could harm our country and our people? ” he said.
He said it's harder to vet immigrants from countries with which we don't have diplomatic relations, meaning it's much harder to know who's coming into the U.S., and what keeps him up at night is the number of people coming into the U.S. He said this is because there is a possibility of failure to grasp the threat.
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“What keeps me up at night is not being successful, because I know that every time I miss a person, every time I miss a drug, people's lives are forever affected. And in some cases, , people could die. That's something none of us would ever want to see,” he said.
