U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said: CBS News’ “Face the Nation” On Sunday, he said the migrant crisis at the southern border is a “national security threat.”
Asked if smugglers at the border “set the rules of engagement,” Owens said: “Yes, absolutely. They decide what the flow is going to be and we respond accordingly.” “I am,” he replied.
Owens added: “We’re trying to get in front of that and refuse to use these areas, especially areas that we think are going to be dangerous to us and to immigrants. But at the end of the day, it’s over.” he added. The border with Mexico is 1,900 miles long. When a border guard says he has 20,000 people, it sounds like a lot. But when you multiply this by the fact that he works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round, the number becomes even higher. It decreases very quickly. ”
He said smugglers are intentionally manipulating the Border Patrol response by pushing groups of migrants to specific areas of the southern border as a distraction.
“The tactic is that they try to push the group away, knowing that we will respond from a humanitarian perspective and ensure their safety. What is going on while you are absorbed?” [the smugglers] Are you doing something miles away? ” Owens questioned.
He said he was “absolutely” concerned about potential terrorists crossing the southern border while agents were stuck processing asylum seekers.
“As any law enforcement officer, especially those in border security, would agree, that’s what keeps us up at night,” Owens told CBS News. “He’s approaching 1 million entries this year alone. That’s a big number, but what keeps me up at night is his 140,000 known escapes.”
A fugitive is an illegal immigrant who has been detected by cameras or sensors but who intentionally evades arrest by law enforcement officers.
Owens pointed out that the 1 million recorded admissions and 140,000 fugitives do not include illegal immigrants who entered the country undetected.
“It’s a national security threat,” Owens continued. “It’s a threat when you don’t know who’s coming into our country and what their intentions are. And they’re now exploiting vulnerabilities at our borders.”
Recent Congressional Budget Office report It is estimated that 860,000 illegal immigrants “entered the country without encountering danger” in fiscal 2023. [Customs and Border Protection] Formal. “
Owens claimed that individuals from at least 160 countries entered the United States this fiscal year, which began in October. The vast majority of illegal immigrants are “generally good people,” he added.
“But we still find that within these groups there are people with criminal records, people who have been convicted as sexual offenders, people who have been convicted as gang members. They are a small minority of that population, but they still exist.” he said.
Owens called for tougher penalties for illegal immigration.
“I’m talking about prison sentences. I’m talking about deportation. And I’m talking about being barred from returning home because you chose to enter the country illegally rather than through established legal channels.” ‘We’ve got it for you,’ he said. said.
From October to February, officials encountered 1,151,448 migrants at the southern border. CBP data.
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