The nine agents testified before investigators on the House Homeland Security and Oversight Committees during a five-month period earlier this year. Supervisory and line agents assigned to duty at key border stations from California to Texas participated in the probe. Excerpts of the interview transcripts were later provided to the Epoch Times.
It is worth noting that while both Democratic and Republican lawmakers joined the interviews, only the Republicans provided the excerpts. Given this, the Epoch Times has requested the full interview transcripts. "We wanted to interview these agents due to their deep expertise as Border Patrol agents and the experience their senior positions afforded them to speak about operations in their sector," a GOP committee spokesman said.
John Modlin, chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector in Arizona, said in a July 26 interview that his border station experienced an unprecedented increase in illegal immigrants during the hottest months of the year ever since President Joe Biden took office. Typically, the number of border crossings during this period would be at their lowest. (Related: US border crisis persists: Thousands of migrants continue to cross daily despite the summer heat.)
"The summer months tend to be very low," he said. "[But] this time of year, the most dangerous time of year, [the Tucson Sector] is seeing one of the most significant flows that we’ve seen."
Modlin also described "staggering increases" in the number of illegals entering the U.S. at his station. From about 60,000 people recorded between 2018 and 2020, it increased more than three times to 190,000 in 2021. He also noted that this number spiked to 250,000 in 2022, and added that it could hit the 300,000 mark this year.
Illegals encouraged to cross border because there's no punishment for doing so
Agents interviewed by the House of Representatives were of the sentiment that the lack of negative consequences for illegally entering the United States is a major factor causing the influx of migrant crossings today, if not the prime reason.
In a May 9 interview, Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke of the San Diego Sector said returning illegal aliens to the Mexican side of the border or their country of origin is essential to stopping the current threat. Under the current administration's rules, illegals caught entering will instead be released in the U.S. heartland – where they will wreak havoc in the communities they are sent to.
"There needs to be a consequence to the illegal activity, otherwise it won't stop," Heitke told investigators. "When you look at a population that’s coming, the only real consequence that we have is to send them back to their home country. And if somebody has traveled from wherever for an entire year and you fly them all the way back to their country, it’s a significant penalty."
"[There isn't] enough detention [capacity] in our country to detain everybody – and even if there was, it would be short-term. A day or two in detention is not a penalty to them; they're more willing to do that. Fines, obviously, are not going to be effective when the individuals have everything they own with them."
Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens of the Del Rio Sector in Texas responded in the affirmative when asked whether illegal immigrants being released into the mainland U.S. following a short stay in custody would incentivize more border crossings. "What I will tell you is this: I think that if there is no consequence for an action, there's no deterrence for a person to not commit that action," he expounded.
"These chief patrol agents' testimonies make it clear consequences are essential to deterring illegal immigration," said Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. "When those disincentives are absent, historic numbers of people will enter our country unlawfully. That is exactly what has taken place at America's borders for almost three years."
Watch this Fox News report about a Border Patrol agent lamenting how President Joe Biden has "surrendered the border."
This video is from the Redpillusapatriots channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Biden's lax immigration policy brings Yuma, Arizona to the brink of collapse.
Poll reveals majority of Arizonans want a BORDER WALL in the Grand Canyon State.
Border Patrol sector in Arizona STOPS POSTING UPDATES amid ongoing surge of illegals.
Sources include:
Please contact us for more information.
