Border Patrol agents this week arrested an undocumented immigrant with a prior murder conviction, marking the 10th such arrest since the fiscal year began in October, authorities announced Friday.
The illegal alien from El Salvador was arrested Thursday, and Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said the man had previously been convicted of murder.
“So far in FY24 (since October 1st), USBP has arrested 10 subjects with murder/murder convictions,” Owens said on X (formerly Twitter).
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Border Patrol announced the arrest of an illegal immigrant convicted of murder. (Alison Diener/AFP via Getty Images/Customs and Border Protection)
The arrests come amid regular arrests of criminals crossing the southern border among the millions of illegal immigrants who visit the U.S. border each year.
There were 2.4 million encounters with migrants in fiscal 2023, and a monthly record was set in December with more than 300,000 encounters. In FY23, he encountered more than 35,000 criminals both at ports of entry and between ports of entry. In fiscal 2014, more than 6,000 criminals have been encountered so far.
Additionally, Border Patrol officials have previously expressed concern about the possibility of runaways slipping past overwhelmed Border Patrol agents. There were more than 650,000 vacations in fiscal 2023, and Owens told lawmakers last year that was a concern.
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“If someone is willing to risk themselves in a remote and extremely dangerous situation to evade capture, we need to ask ourselves why. What makes them willing to take that risk? “That's the concern for me,” he said. “The other thing that bothers me is that I don't know who the person is. I don't know where they're coming from. I don't know what their intentions are. “Unknown represents risk, threat. That's a big concern for anyone wearing this uniform.”
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., lawmakers are negotiating with the administration over a request for $14 billion in border security funding as part of an emergency supplement.
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The Biden administration has said it needs more funding from Congress and comprehensive immigration reform, arguing for more funding for processing, along with expedited removals and an increase in deportation flights. Republicans blame the crisis on the administration's release of migrants into the interior and other policies, and have called for stricter restrictions on asylum and parole as part of the deal.
