According to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, President Biden’s lenient enforcement practices have resulted in the illegal entry of millions of immigrants into the country, thereby posing an undeniable “national security threat.” Owens made these remarks during an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” program on Sunday, where he also highlighted the Mexican cartels’ significant influence in determining the rules of engagement along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“They dictate what the flow is going to look like, and we respond to it,” he said. “Then we try and get out in front of it and deny them the ability to use these areas, especially ones that we think are going to be dangerous for us and the migrants. But at the end of the day, there are over 1,900 miles of border with Mexico.
“Now, when you talk about 20,000 border patrol agents, that sounds like a lot. But when you multiply that by 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the entirety of the year, that number starts to dwindle very fast. And that’s exactly what they’ll do. The tactic is, they’ll push groups across knowing that we’re going to respond from a humanitarian perspective and make sure that they’re safe. And while we’re tied up and occupied doing this, what are they doing a couple miles down the road?” Owens added.
The primary concern that keeps border officials awake at night, according to him, is the entry of unfamiliar foreign nationals into the United States.
“We’re closing in on a million entries this fiscal year alone,” he said. “That number is a large number, but what’s keeping me up at night is the 140,000 known getaways.”
“That is a national security threat,” he told the outlet. “Border security is a big piece of national security. And if we don’t know who is coming into our country and we don’t know what their intent is, that is a threat. And they’re exploiting a vulnerability that’s on our border right now.”
According to an increasing number of polls, illegal immigration has emerged as the top priority for a majority of Americans in this election year. The Department of Homeland Security reported a rise in the number of unauthorized migrants entering the country in February, with over 256,000 encounters recorded.
“Nearly 190,000 of the encounters came at the southern border, and about 141,000 of those were Border Patrol arrests. Among them were 11 more arrests of migrants whose identities were found on the government’s terrorism watchlist,” the report said.
“The rest of the southern border encounters were unauthorized migrants showing up at crossings and demanding to be let in. More than 42,000 of those sought entry under a legally iffy ‘parole’ program created by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to try to take pressure off Border Patrol agents,” the Times added.
“Under that program, known as the CBPOne App, migrants can schedule their arrivals at the border and be allowed in. The government also runs another parole program that allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to preschedule arrivals at airports inside the U.S,” the outlet continued.
Since assuming office, President Biden has faced relentless criticism from Republicans regarding his immigration orders. From day one, when he swiftly overturned the majority of former President Donald Trump’s highly successful policies, the Republican party has been vocal in their disapproval.
“Despite Secretary Mayorkas finally admitting that there is a border crisis after three years of lying to Congress and the American people, he continues to incentivize unlawful entry into the country with his mass catch-and-release and mass-parole programs,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman and Tennessee Republican Rep. Mark Green said.