(ProsperNews.net) – Border Patrol chief Jason Owens has warned that the porous US southern border presents a grave threat to the future of the United States. He said the situation keeps him awake at night as he worries about the “national security threat” of permitting hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants access to the US.
Speaking on CBS’ Face the Nation, Mr. Owens said Mexican drug cartels enjoy enormous power at the border. “They dictate what the flow is going to look like, and we respond to it,” he said. The chief added that the cartels know that America will respond from a humanitarian perspective and take advantage of that. “They’re exploiting a vulnerability,” he insisted.
Furthermore, Owens cautioned that there are almost certainly terrorists among those crossing the 1,900-mile border, and there are not enough law enforcement agents to intercept these, even if they were identifiable.
Border Patrol agents have recorded 1,151,448 encounters this fiscal year, compared to 2,475,669 last year. Both numbers are unprecedented and do not include the estimated 140,000 “gotaways”——those who do not encounter law enforcement agents and whose accurate figure cannot be determined.
The border chief furthermore claimed that most of those who cross the border are fleeing economic deprivation, which, under international law, is not grounds for asylum.
When asked what action he would take to tackle the crisis, Mr. Owens called for tough policies, including sending migrants to prison. He also said there must be greater scrutiny of asylum claims and more resources for law enforcement agencies.
The remarks came during Owens’ first interview since taking over the division of the Customs and Border Protection agency in June last year. He offered his view of Texas legislative efforts to arrest and jail migrants. These were opposed by the Biden administration, which argues that only the federal government can set migration and deportation policies. Mr. Owens, however, praised the Lone Star State, saying there is “no better partner for Border Patrol.”
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