U.S. Border Patrol chief calls southern border a "national security threat," citing 140,000 migrants who evaded capture
Source: CBS
Washington In an exclusive interview with CBS News, U.S. Border Patrol chief Jason Owens called the situation at the southern border a "national security threat," expressing concern about tens of thousands of migrants who have evaded apprehension and entered the country surreptitiously over the past five months.
Owens said Border Patrol is "closing in" on recording one million apprehensions of migrants in between ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border in the 2024 fiscal year, which started in October. For the third consecutive year, his agency is on track to record two million apprehensions by the time the fiscal year ends at the end of September, Owens added.
"That number is a large number, but what's keeping me up at night is the 140,000 known got-aways," Owens said in his first exclusive interview as Border Patrol chief, referring to migrants who are detected by cameras and sensors crossing into the U.S. illegally, but not apprehended.
"Why are they risking their lives and crossing in areas where we can't get to?" Owens asked. "Why are they hiding? What do they have to hide? What are they bringing in? What is their intent? Where are they coming from? We simply don't know the answers to those questions. Those things for us are what represent the threat to our communities."
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jason-owens-border-patrol-southern-border-national-security-threat/
Video of the interview:
PortTack
(32,823 posts)Cheezoholic
(2,051 posts)Warpy
(111,467 posts)"What have they got to hide?" Sounds a little paranoid to me
And if they're crossing in areas the Border Patrol can't access, how does he know any of them made it through?
I'm all for passing that bipartisan bill, although I sincerely doubt it will make a difference beyond increasing manpower at the border enough to handle the crush of people trying to cross legally.
PSPS
(13,644 posts)Is this guy a MAGA holdover? Trump ordered his minions in the Kremlin Kaucus to kill the bill that addressed these very concerns just to "make Biden look bad."
keopeli
(3,529 posts)It's been the same story for eons. This is proof that we have the best economy in the world.
"Why are they crossing where we can't get to them?" Uh, because they don't want to get caught and deported maybe?
This dildo should be saying what they need to solve the problem instead of fearmongering. Like, we need more agents, more sophisticated equipment, faster processing, etc. By the way, ALL of those solutions were in the law that Repukes wrote and Dems agreed to approve months ago, but TSF killed the bill. He doesn't want to solve the problem. He wants to complain about it.
By the way, did anyone notice that the bill the Repukes wrote did NOT allocate money to build a gigantic WALL? That's because a wall won't work and is not cost effective. But it does make a good rallying cry for the teevee.
LittleGirl
(8,292 posts)but he's got the markings of a white supremacist. Bald head, lily white, fear mongering mouth and I didn't even listen to the video because I read what he said. They don't think migrants are humans. F** that.
Chakaconcarne
(2,482 posts)this to continue to happen?
Oopsie.