In the last 48 hours, there have been 16,000 migrant encounters at the southern border, according to US Border Patrol, with El Paso seeing the single biggest group crossing ever.
Raul Ortiz, the Chief of US Border Patrol, confirmed the over 16,000 migrant encounters, at an average of 8,000 per day, along with the seizure of over $97 million worth of narcotics, multiple gang members, murderers, and sex offenders.
Past 48 Hours…
– Over 16,000 Encounters
– Over $97 Million in Narcotics
– 4 Firearms (1 Stolen)
– 3 Gang Members
– 2 Sex Offenders
– 2 Murderers
– 2 Warrants
– 1 Injury to a ChildAnother weekend of hard work by our agents!
THANK YOU for all that you do out there! pic.twitter.com/qvA7MbalvY— Chief Raul Ortiz (@USBPChief) December 12, 2022
Speaking to MSNBC in 2019, Obama-era Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said that seeing over 1,000 migrant apprehensions would put him “in a bad mood the whole day” during his time in office. At the time of the interview, over 4,000 migrants had been caught.
“I know that a thousand overwhelms the system,” Johnson said. “I cannot begin to imagine what 4,000 a day looks like, so we are truly in a crisis.” Citing Johnson’s comments, Bill Melugin, a Los Angeles-based reporter with Fox News, noted that “we are 8x that right now.”
NEW: The Chief of U.S. Border Patrol reports there have been over 16,000 migrant encounters at the border in the last 48 hours.
That’s an average of 8,000 per day.Former Obama DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson once said 1,000 in a day would be a “crisis”.
We are 8x that right now.
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 12, 2022
Video taken by Melugin at the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, captured the single largest migrant caravan to ever cross over the border at once, with over 1,000 people crossing the border illegally. According to reports, the Customs and Border Protection in El Paso now has at least 5,100 migrants in their custody, with Melugin claiming “hundreds” more were released.
“Customs and Border Protection’s El Paso Sector on the Texas border with Mexico has seen an increase in encounters,” CBP told Fox News on Monday. “In order to process individuals as safely and expeditiously as possible, Border Patrol agents from Big Bend and CBP Officers from El Paso Field Office are assisting with processing.”
BREAKING: A huge migrant caravan of over 1,000 people crossed illegally into El Paso, TX last night, making it the largest single group we have ever seen. The city of El Paso reports Border Patrol now has over 5,000 in custody & has released hundreds to city streets. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/ewUQX757Lt
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 12, 2022
Breaking! Over the weekend, the El Paso Sector experienced a major surge in illegal crossings, with a 3-day average of 2,460 daily encounters, primarily through the downtown area of El Paso. We will continue to keep the public informed as the situation evolves. pic.twitter.com/V2pOO6Y31N
— Peter Jaquez (@USBPChiefEPT) December 12, 2022
Many of the migrants on the El Paso side had been driven in buses, escorted by the Mexican police, into Ciudad Juarez, the Mexican city that sits across the border from El Paso. The 20 buses full of migrants were then deposited at the border, at which point they were released to various NGOs, before crossing over the river.
Before this mass of migrants crossed, Mexican police escorted nearly 20 buses full of migrants into Ciudad Juarez, the MX city across from El Paso, and released them at multiple NGOs. The migrants then walked from the NGOs to the river, & crossed illegally into El Paso. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/KgE2HUVbej
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 12, 2022
According to NewsNation border correspondent Ali Bradley, Border Patrol agents are being instructed to “process [illegal migrants] faster,” and get them out of their custody “by any means” before Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visits the border on Tuesday.
Border Patrol sources telling me they’re being directed “to process faster” & get at least 10,000 migrants out of BP custody “by any means” ahead of DHS Secretary Mayorkas’ visit tomorrow—Agents say migrants will be returned voluntarily or released w/an NTA (notice to appear).
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) December 12, 2022
Valiant News reported last week that Joe Biden’s refusal to visit the southern border because “there are more important things” going on, generated widespread backlash, including from Border Patrol agents.
“MORE IMPORTANT THINGS? This is HIS disaster, he created this catastrophe,” one agent told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a text message. “The border crisis is a total breach of National Security. Give me a f**king break…I can’t wait for this clown to be out of office.”
This news and commentary by Jack Hadfield originally appeared on Valiant News.
