Border Hits ‘Breaking Point’ in El Paso

By
Tammy Waitt
-

March 28, 2019 – In Breaking News – Fox News

The nation’s top border security official said Wednesday that the border is at its “breaking point” during a visit to Texas, where as many as 1,000 migrants crossed into the U.S. and there are not enough agents to respond.

“That breaking point has arrived this week at our border,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan said along the border.

“CBP is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and border security crisis all along our Southwest border, and nowhere has that crisis manifested more acutely than here in El Paso.”

(US Customs and Border Protection host a press conference with Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 in El Paso, Texas to discuss the impact of the dramatic increase in illegal crossings that continue to occur along the Southwest border.Courtesy of PBS NewsHour and YouTube. Posted on Mar 27, 2019.)

McAleenan said the Border Patrol is on pace for over 100,000 apprehensions and encounters with migrants – mostly from Central America seeking asylum in the U.S.

On Monday, agents encountered an estimated 4,000 migrants border-wide, he said.

In February, more than 76,000 migrants were detained, the highest number in 12 years. That figure includes more than 7,000 unaccompanied children.

More than 36,000 migrant families have arrived in the El Paso region in fiscal year 2019 compared with about 2,000 at the same time last year, according to CBP data, the El Paso Times reported.

The influx is posing new challenges for border agents.

(The U.S. Border Patrol reports a record 3,700 migrants were apprehended in one day in March. Courtesy of Fox News and YouTube. Posted on Mar 27, 2019.)

Some arrive with viruses, such as the flu or chickenpox, and others with injuries.

McAleenan said crowded detention centers could worsen the situation.

“We are doing everything we can to simply avoid a tragedy in a CBP facility,” he said. “But with these numbers, with the types of illnesses we’re seeing at the border, I fear that it’s just a matter of time.”

About 750 border agents have been reassigned from other ports to El Paso and highway security checkpoints in West Texas and New Mexico will temporarily shut down.

The reassignments could mean longer wait times at border crossings and may affect trade between the U.S. and Mexico as fewer agents will be available to inspect cargo and normal border traffic.

(Border Patrol Agents Arrest 800 Illegal Immigrants in 2 Days U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents in the Yuma, Arizona sector apprehended 800 migrants attempting the cross the border over a two day period beginning on Sunday. Additionally, CBP recorded more than 3,700 apprehensions along the southwest border on Monday, which was the largest single-day total in more than a decade. Courtesy of Western Journal and YouTube. Posted on Mar 28, 2019.)

Continue reading… Border hits ‘breaking point’ in El Paso, CBP commissioner says

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DHS Nielsen Signs Historic MOC to Stem Irregular Migration at the Source, Confront U.S. Border Crisis

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras where she met with security ministers representing the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

The multilateral discussions mark the continuation of a multi-year diplomatic process and the signing of a historic Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on border security cooperation in Central America.

Together with Guatemalan Minister of Government Enrique Degenhart, Honduran Security Minister Julian Pacheco, and Salvadoran Minister of Justice and Public Security Mauricio Landaverde, Secretary Nielsen expressed her gratitude for the continued collaboration and partnership of the Central American nations as they work to stem the flood of irregular migration and develop regional approach to addressing the ongoing humanitarian and security emergency at our Southern Border.

“America shares common cause with the countries of Central America in confronting these challenges,” said Secretary Nielsen.

“We all want to enforce our laws, ensure a safe and orderly migrant flow, protect our communities, facilitate legal trade and travel, support vulnerable populations, interdict dangerous and illicit drug flow, and secure our borders.”

“I look forward to implementing this historic agreement and working with my Northern Triangle counterparts to help secure all of our nations and to end the humanitarian and security crisis we face,” said Nielsen.

“Together we will prevail.”

The MOC – the first ever multilateral compact on border security – aims to better synchronize cooperation between the countries in order to bolster border security, prevent the formation of new migrant caravans, and address the root causes of the migration crisis through better synchronized efforts to include the following:

  • Human trafficking and smuggling;

  • Combating transnational criminal organizations and gangs;

  • Expanding Information and Intelligence Sharing;

  • Strengthening air, land, and maritime border security.

Each of these focus areas will be pursued through an array of agreed-upon initiatives. Technical working groups with representatives from each country will monitor the initiatives and ensure they are carried out expeditiously.

The groups will meet periodically throughout the year, with Secretary Nielsen and the Northern Triangle Ministers continuing to meet in the coming months to ensure continued momentum.

DHS banner

While in Honduras, Secretary Nielsen also participated in a bilateral meeting with the Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and First Lady Ana Rosalinda García de Hernández.

Secretary Nielsen affirmed America’s commitment to working with Honduras in a shared effort of combatting human trafficking and child smuggling, as well as addressing the major drivers of irregular migration prompting families and individuals to put themselves in harm’s way by embarking on the dangerous journey north.

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