A top U.S. Border Patrol union representative says the situation along the southwest border “is spinning out of control everywhere,” with the number of illegal border crossings showing no sign of falloff while agency staffing in the field is at dangerously low rates.
“It’s just overwhelming right now,” USBP agent Art Del Cueto told KFYI’s James T. Harris earlier this week. Del Cueto serves as vice president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) and president of NBPC Local 2544 in Tucson.
The staffing problem had become so bad that NBPC publicized the situation earlier this week, reporting only two agents were covering a 50-mile section of border. There would typically have been 15 to 20 agents assigned to the area, according to NBPC.
Two agents assigned today to patrol 50 miles of border that usually has 15 to 20 agents on patrol-completely overwhelmed with illegal aliens. The cartel thugs are watching.
Biden's unrelenting assault on the border and the shortage/misappropriation of manpower is stunning.
USBP agents have long complained about being dangerously outmanned in the field. Several agents have been injured just in the Cochise County area over the last year, including an agent assigned to USBP Tucson Sector who was hospitalized March 4 after being attacked as she arrested an undocumented migrant.
The migrant was eventually subdued and taken into custody when other agents arrived on scene.
“Our agents face extreme risks in the field, and those who bring them harm will be brought to justice,” USBP Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin said a few days later. Even USBP Chief Raul Ortiz was forced to weigh in on the situation after the agent’s early morning attack made national headlines.
The March 4 attack drew an immediate reaction from Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, who promised to have the attacker charged in state court if federal prosecutors dropped the ball.
But while USBP command staffers used the attacked agent’s recovery to deflect from the dangerous situation, Del Cueto contends the ongoing practice of pulling field agents from patrol duties to be used instead to process large groups of border crossers in another area demonstrates the lack of sufficient staffing.
Different areas along the nearly 2,000 mile border between the U.S. and Mexico have different challenges, Del Cueto told Harris. For instance, the USBP Tucson Sector is responsible for a mostly remote and rural terrain.
As a result, the area leads the U.S. with a disturbingly high number of “gotaways,” the name given to undocumented border crossers who evade apprehension and do not turn themselves in for immigration processing.
According to Del Cueto, the cartels know of USBP’s staffing challenges. As a result, they realize getting agents to chase down crossers in certain remote areas provides a distraction which allows drugs or higher paying crossers to be moved through other areas.
Staffing issues are forcing agents in the field to wait longer for transport vehicles to arrive, while at other times they must do the processing and transporting themselves. This removes boots on the ground, and “that’s when you start seeing a lot of other groups come through,” he explained.
Del Cueto calls it a “cop out” when people complain USBP and its parent agency Customs and Border Protection are not asking U.S. Department of Homeland Security to spend more money for technology along the border.
“Technology is fantastic, it helps us see where the groups are but at the end you need the boots on the ground to actually make the arrests,” he told Harris.
The cartels are very organized and “are not dumb,” Del Cueto said, adding that they will continue to do things “as long as they kept seeing this Administration not have any true consequences for these people committing crimes.”
“The agents that are still here in Tucson, they have their hands full,” Del Cueto said. “Their backup is far away. They are having a really hard time.”
Terri Jo Neff is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or send her news tips here.
Terrorists appear to be making the most of the ongoing border crisis, according to the latest illegal immigrant encounter data from Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
Terror watchlist arrests have increased over sixfold since President Joe Biden took office. CBP apprehensions increased from 15 in the 2021 fiscal year to 98 in the 2022 fiscal year. Since October, there have been 38 arrests of illegal immigrants on the terror watchlist. From 2017 to 2021, four years, CBP only arrested 26 from the terror watchlist.
CBP released operational statistics for December 2022, which can be viewed on our website.
CBP told Fox News that they estimate approximately 1.2 million “gotaways,” in addition to the over 4.6 million illegal immigrants that have been apprehended at the southern border.
Terror watchlist arrests at the southern border are surging under President Biden.
December’s total apprehensions nearly doubled last year’s record for that month; it also marked the highest single month of apprehensions on record.
Nearly 70 percent of the 2022 fiscal year illegal immigrants were single adults (nearly 64 percent in the 2021 fiscal year). Family units accounted for 23 percent of the 2022 fiscal year southwest border encounters.
At this rate, there may be over 9.2 million illegal immigrants by the end of Biden’s first term.
The illegal immigrants aren’t the only increase in border activity since Biden took office. Drug trafficking has also reached historic highs.
Between November 1 and December 31, 2022, @CBPAMO worked with federal and international partners to seize nearly 37,887lbs of cocaine & 1,518lbs of marijuana in international waters, denying criminal organizations an estimated $77.3M in proceeds.
The drug traffickers have gotten creative with their outsized shipments, disguising their cargo as commercial goods like rocks and cotton candy.
San Diego CBP officers working on January 11 seized $4M worth of cocaine concealed within a shipment manifested as decorative stone. The packages of cocaine were hidden within a plaster-like material designed to appear like stones.
Harder drugs are taking precedence over others, as reflected by CBP drug seizure statistics. This includes fentanyl, meth, and cocaine. Marijuana dropped off in seizures around 2021.
On Saturday, Laredo CBP officers examined a tractor-trailer manifesting a commercial shipment of cotton candy and discovered 3,373lbs of marijuana concealed inside with an estimated street value of $7.5M.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Arizona last Thursday. Although Biden designated Harris as the “Border Czar,” Harris did not visit the border while in Arizona. Rather, the vice president came to the state to discuss “clean” energy.
This Arizona sheriff says it was "insulting" for "border czar" Kamala Harris to visit the state without stopping at the border:
"We can't get our vice president to even acknowledge [the border crisis] while she's in our state….it's insulting." pic.twitter.com/3lLDLB8Lgd
When asked why she and Biden weren’t taking more steps to secure the border, Harris said that Congress needed to act. Harris also indicated that it wasn’t important for her to visit the border during last Thursday’s trip, since she went in June 2021.
“The reality is, the people in Washington, D.C., the people who walk around the halls of Congress need to do something,” said Harris.
"Border czar" Kamala Harris concedes the only thing Americans can expect from the Biden admin on securing the border is blaming Congress. pic.twitter.com/D50ATzjSOT
Illegal immigration may hit another all-time monthly high for the Biden administration. That’s in addition to the current historic record of over 4.1 million encounters, excluding “gotaways.”
Over the last few weeks, Border Patrol (BP) has observed a sharp increase in illegal border crossings in the Tucson Sector. Chief John Modlin highlighted the encounters of “large groups” throughout the week. In all, Modlin documented seven large groups totaling over 1,000 illegal immigrants.
Between Tuesday evening and Thursday evening, Ajo Station agents encountered five large groups of migrants.
In just three days, 478 individuals were taken into custody. Representing 14 countries and covering four continents, several Tucson Sector assets provided assistance. pic.twitter.com/B0nzQIvyP2
Between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, Ajo Station agents encountered three large groups of migrants. A total of 204 were taken into custody, all adults and family units.
Despite the challenges large groups present, Tucson Sector agents remain steadfast. pic.twitter.com/uFhQfVQSz7
Large groups of migrants from at least 17 different countries spanning three continents were encountered by Ajo Station agents over this past weekend. In just five groups, 321 were taken into custody near Lukeville, AZ. pic.twitter.com/9nxcRIvhCM
The first week of December, Modlin reported that these large groups accounted for hundreds of migrants at a time.
Two groups totaling 122 migrants were encountered by Ajo Station agents near Lukeville, AZ, Tuesday. Representing at least nine countries, the group was taken into custody without incident.
Tucson Sector agents handle large diverse groups with excellent professionalism. pic.twitter.com/sWFCjDbagl
Ajo Station agents continue to encounter large groups near the Port of Lukeville.
Fifty migrants were encountered Wednesday evening, consisting of Cubans, Dominicans, Nicaraguans, and Peruvians. They were taken into custody and transported for processing. pic.twitter.com/EKtqtMw7Ox
Ajo Station agents continue to encounter large groups of migrants.
On Friday, groups of 93, 101, and 59 were apprehended between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. A total of 253 migrants from 10 different countries were taken into custody, requiring several agents for transport and processing. pic.twitter.com/J5GuRS7qo2
The heightened migration surge doesn’t just include those seeking refuge from cartels and oppressive governments. On an almost weekly basis, BP officials document the arrests of illegal immigrants with prior criminal convictions.
Honorio Perez was arrested by Three Points Station agents near San Miguel, AZ, Sunday. The Guatemalan citizen is a felon. In 2013, he was convicted of aggravated child molestation in #Georgia and sentenced to prison for five years. He faces criminal charges. #BorderSecuritypic.twitter.com/FMBLWUG8rg
On Monday, Douglas Station agents arrested four Mexican citizens near Douglas, including Armando Perez-Vera. In #Colorado, he was previously convicted of felony sexual assault. He will be extradited for an outstanding warrant in that state. #HonorFirstpic.twitter.com/3YWW1pxhIb
Convicted murderer faces criminal charges after crossing the border illegally.
Raul Trevizo-Dominguez, a previously removed Mexican citizen, was arrested near Nogales, AZ. He was previously convicted of 2nd degree murder in #Phoenix, AZ, and sentenced to prison for 16 years. pic.twitter.com/IT1N8ub0Go
Another registered sex offender arrested by Tucson Sector agents.
Ramon Mendoza-Schultz was arrested Tuesday near Amado, AZ. The Mexican citizen was convicted of several felonies in #Phoenix, including sexual abuse and molestation of a child. He faces criminal charges. #GoodWorkpic.twitter.com/RLSgSvqtL4
For fiscal year 2022 (FY2022: Oct. 2021 – Sept. 30 2022), the number of illegal immigrants apprehended with one or more prior criminal convictions swelled to over 12,000.
The last time that the country experienced similar numbers was during the final months of the Obama administration and the first few months of Trump’s administration (over 12,800 in FY16). Throughout Trump’s administration, these numbers dropped steadily by several thousand every year: FY2017, over 8,500; FY18, about 6,700; FY19, over 4,200; FY20, over 2,400.
For FY2021, there were over 10,700 criminal illegal immigrants apprehended. At this trend, there could be around 14,000 criminal illegal immigrants arrested for FY23.
Percentagewise, the most notable increases in criminal conviction types concerned those convicted of homicide or manslaughter.
This year's criminal illegal immigrant data reflects a dramatic uptick since the last administration: Murderers +1,966% ; Weapons traffickers +530% ; Robbers & thieves +526% ; Drug traffickers +480% ; Assailants/Domestic abusers +449% ; Repeated illegal aliens +439% … pic.twitter.com/tw1FDPLTrQ
Despite the continuing surge of illegal immigration, President Joe Biden commented ahead of his first-ever visit to Arizona during his term that the border wasn’t important.
Based on the current average monthly encounters, there will be over 8.8 million illegal immigrants coming into the country by the end of Biden’s term. That’s more encounters than former Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George Bush’s last two years combined.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The Biden administration closed out its 2022 fiscal year with close to 2.4 million border encounters: the highest ever recorded in one year.
According to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data released last Friday, the administration also made history with its total September encounters: over 227,500. This total doesn’t reflect estimated “gotaways”: those who escape without apprehension.
With this historic influx of illegal immigrants came an unprecedented number of terrorists. Nearly 100 illegal immigrants apprehended were on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB). As Fox reporter Bill Melugin noted, that’s nearly quadruple the number of terrorists caught crossing illegally from the past five years combined.
Border Patrol arrests of people on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) caught crossing illegally at the southern border, per CBP data.
A key part of the border crisis is the burgeoning fentanyl crisis. Last month alone, CBP seized enough fentanyl to kill over 220,000 people. Their other seizures indicate that Biden’s lax border policy is lucrative for the cartels: over $4.1 million worth of drugs, firearms, and pesticides, as well as over $11 million worth of narcotics.
CBP data reflects the reality that hard drugs overtook marijuana as the preferred substance of smugglers. Last month, CBP reported over 1,800 pounds of fentanyl seized: over 14,100 pounds for the 2022 fiscal year, and close to 21,600 pounds since President Joe Biden took office. That’s well over double of what was seized between January 2019 and December 2020: just under 10,000 pounds.
While fentanyl trafficking skyrocketed, the overall number of drugs seized by weight decreased. From January 2019 to December 2020, CBP seized just under 1.4 million pounds of drugs (most of which was marijuana, meth, cocaine, fentanyl, then heroin, in that order). From January 2020 to present, CBP seized just under 590,000 pounds of drugs (again, most of which were marijuana, meth, cocaine, fentanyl, then heroin, in that order).
Biden named Vice President Kamala Harris the border czar last March, but Harris did little to address the crisis. It took her three months to visit the border after that, visiting El Paso, Texas in late June, although GOP members of Congress criticized that Harris visited a Border Patrol station miles away from the border crisis playing out along the Rio Grande.
"Harris didn’t even go to the actual border. She visited a Border Patrol station about nine miles from the Rio Grande, talked to some immigration activists and legal service providers, posed for press photos back at the airport, and departed for Los Angeles before 1 p.m." @nyposthttps://t.co/9MT4kT8X81
According to a Los Angeles Times tracker of Harris’ schedule, analyzed by the New York Post, the vice president didn’t hold an immigration event in nine months as of May.
Last week, Arizona sued the Biden administration after the Department of Interior (DOI) ordered the state to remove shipping containers and razor wire closing up the border wall gaps. The DOI accused Governor Doug Ducey of committing trespass. Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director Jacklynn Gould promised that the Biden administration was making headway on closing the border themselves.
“That trespass is harming federal lands and resources and impeding Reclamation’s ability to perform its mission,” stated Gould.
In response, Ducey said that his obligation to Arizonans was greater than to the federal government.
“The safety and security of Arizona and its citizens must not be ignored,” stated Ducey. “Arizona is going to do the job that Joe Biden refuses to do — secure the border in any way we can. We’re not backing down.”
Moments ago, the state of Arizona filed a lawsuit seeking the courts to affirm the state’s right to defend itself. Our border communities are overwhelmed by illegal activity as a result of the Biden admin’s failure to secure the southern border. 1/ https://t.co/4M9Xpn4vDk
On Monday, Ducey announced that the state continued adding onto the border wall over the weekend — starting the day the state sued the Biden administration.
“Arizona isn’t afraid of a challenge. We will not back down. We will protect our state,” tweeted Ducey.
On Friday, we committed to moving forward with our Border Barrier Mission – undeterred by the Biden admin’s efforts to reverse our progress.
Today, we continued to follow through on our promise to add physical barriers to the border where possible. 1/ pic.twitter.com/eUk3LPD99E
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus, formerly Tucson’s police chief, is reportedly falling asleep during and skipping border-related meetings.
Numerous Biden administration officials working with Magnus revealed this information to Politico. They insisted that Magnus has virtually no grasp of border operations, observing that the commissioner often sends deputies to meetings in his stead.
“Operationally he’s not even in the conversation,” said one official. “He knows the border, but the ins-and-outs and the size and capabilities of CBP is pretty far outside his remit and understanding how to deal with other parts of the administration.”
Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) both supported Magnus in his nomination.
Officials also claimed that Magnus “bad-mouths” other agencies, and distracts CBP from solving the border crisis issue. They shared that Magnus is reportedly more concerned about systemic racism and negative cultures within Border Patrol (BP) than addressing the historic high of illegal crossings.
“He’s not in the game,” stated one anonymous official to Politico. “Every time there’s a meeting and he’s in it, we’ll get to a conclusion and Magnus will have some sidebar issue that he wants to raise and we’re all like ‘What the f**k is that about?’”
Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay. Mental health is a critical public health issue, and I'm committed to ensuring that @CBP's workforce has access to the resources they need to improve their overall wellness.
— CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus (@CBPChrisMagnus) October 10, 2022
Magnus’ reported indifference to the border crisis aligns with his repeated denial of the border crisis and past refusal to enforce immigration law while Tucson’s police chief. It may also be why he was the Biden administration’s pick for commissioner, considering the White House has downplayed the severity of the border crisis continuously.
Last month, Magnus again downplayed the border crisis to NBC News, declaring that the border was in a state of order.
“I think people across the country should know it’s not chaos here [at the border],” said Magnus.
Biden’s CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus denies reality, claiming “it’s not chaos here” at the border. pic.twitter.com/ppi1jyC9QP
Magnus denied his colleagues’ allegations. He blamed multiple sclerosis for falling asleep, and claimed that he was almost always asking “too many” questions at meetings.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
