Nearly 270,000 Apprehensions, Gotaways at Southern Border in March

There were nearly 270,000 apprehensions and gotaways reported of foreign nationals who illegally entered the U.S. at the southern border last month, according to official data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and data The Center Square obtained from a Border Patrol agent.

CBP reported that encounters of illegal foreign nationals processed at ports of entry in all nine southwest Border Patrol sectors in March totaled 191,900, up nearly 23% from 156,138 in February.

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Florida Attorney General Calls on Congress to Impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging Congress to “begin impeachment proceedings immediately” of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. She cites several reasons to justify her request, including claiming he’s violated federal law, lied multiple times under oath before Congress, and is endangering American lives.

In a letter addressed to five Republican congressional leaders Tuesday, she urged them “to act to protect the American people and impeach Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Secretary Mayorkas is directly responsible, and his actions have caused our unprecedented border crisis.”

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Border Patrol Union Signals Concern Over Proposed Biden Immigration Policy

The Biden administration’s proposed “Safe Third Country” agreement attempting to crack down on an expected surge in illegal immigration at the southern border has a major loophole that still allows migrants to be released into the country en masse, according to a document the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Daily Caller News Foundation exclusively obtained.

The policy, which was proposed in anticipation of the end of the Title 42 public health expulsion order on May 11, would make migrants seeking asylum that already passed through a safe country on the way to the U.S. ineligible for asylum. The Border Patrol union raised its concerns to DHS, asserting that the rule would still allow for “catch and release” because of loopholes, such as making a claim of credible fear to trigger the need for years-long adjudication, according to the NBPC response.

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Border Authorities Detail Smuggling Routes, Warn of Greater Surge in Chinese Illegally Crossing Into US

Border authorities in the U.S. are expecting a further increase in the number of Chinese migrants crossing illegally at the southern border, and have identified key ways they are entering the country, according to an internal U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) document exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The document, which was circulated via an internal email to CBP personnel, warns of more Chinese nationals entering the U.S. via the southern border due to a broader message from smugglers about routes into the country. The document details key smuggling routes, and notes that the Chinese nationals are entering in higher numbers due to religious persecution against the Christian faith.

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Mayorkas Launches Program to Combat Fentanyl Smuggling at the Border

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the launch of a program to combat the surge in illicit fentanyl smuggling at the southern border.

Mayorkas announced “Operation Blue Lotus” Tuesday during a visit to the Port of Nogales, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has made large fentanyl seizures, to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents to the ports to help collect intelligence on drug cartels to create criminal cases against them. CBP illicit fentanyl seizures at the southern border for fiscal year 2023 are on pace to surpass fiscal year 2022’s seizure of roughly 14,000 pounds of the synthetic narcotic.

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January Migrant Encounters Hit New Low While Biden Admin Paroles Migrants into U.S.

Federal authorities encountered a new low of more than 150,000 migrants at the southern border in January while the Biden administration paroles thousands of others into the U.S., according to data U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released Friday.

CBP encountered 156,274 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in January, according to the agency. The new low coincides with a new series of policies the Biden administration began implementing for migrants to enter the country using parole authority.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Appoints State’s First ‘Border Czar’

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed his state’s first “border czar,” during a news conference in San Benito, Texas, Monday.

Abbott chose Mike Banks for the role, which solely entails combatting the destruction he says the federal government has caused. President Joe Biden has overseen record surges in illegal migration at the southern border, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recording more than 2.3 million migrant encounters in fiscal year 2022.

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More than 200,000 Migrants Came to U.S. in December amid Mounting Border Crisis: CBP

Authorities encountered 216,162 migrants at the southwest land border in December of last year, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That figures marks an 11 percent increase in unique encounters from November of the same year. The federal agency attributed the surge to influx of Cuban and Nicaraguan individuals fleeing authoritarian regimes in those countries.

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Former Arizona Border Patrol Agent Sentenced to Almost 13 Years for Firearm Distribution and Smuggling Narcotics

The Arizona District of the Department of Justice revealed Tuesday that a former border patrol agent, Ramon Monreal-Rodriguez, 36, of Vail, Arizona, will be placed behind bars for 152 months for his role in two federal criminal cases.

“The men and women of the United States Border Patrol safeguard our frontier with compassion and dignity,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “Most Border Patrol Agents are excellent public servants who diligently interdict contraband like guns and drugs. For those who aren’t and don’t, the Bureau of Prisons has plenty of room.”

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Border Patrol Apprehend Record Number of Cubans Attempting to Illegally Enter Florida

Nearly every day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, working with multiple law enforcement partners, apprehend Cubans attempting to enter Florida illegally. They’re also apprehending other foreign nationals, including sex offenders.

They’re doing so as U.S. Coast Guard crews continue to apprehend a record number of Cubans. In fiscal year 2022, they apprehended a record high 6,182 Cubans at sea compared to 49 in fiscal 2020.

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Arizona Sheriff Sides with Border Crossers, Says Ducey’s Makeshift Container Wall ‘Illegal Dumping’

An Arizona county sheriff is siding with protesters and demanding for Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to stop sending shipping containers to the border for a makeshift wall. 

Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway said Ducey’s order to use containers as the border wall is “illegal dumping,” and he plans on arresting construction crews and security personnel if they come to his county, Fox 10 Phoenix reported Saturday.

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DEA Phoenix Seizes over 8 Million Fentanyl Pills During Operation

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced Wednesday that an enforcement operation spanning from May to September seized millions of illicit fentanyl pills.

“On the frontline as we race to save lives, DEA Arizona continues to seize historic amounts of deadly fentanyl,” said Cheri Oz, the Phoenix DEA Special Agent in Charge of the operation. “It is terrifying that the drug cartels are mimicking candy to make fentanyl appear harmless. We need your help spreading the word about the dangers of fentanyl. It’s a matter of life and death.”

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Arizona Officials React to August Southern Border Encounter Statistics

New southern border encounter statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed that officials encountered over 200,000 migrants at the border for the sixth month in a row, which Gov. Doug Ducey said is especially harsh on Arizona border towns.

“Border towns bear the weight of this record illegal immigration. Government services, hospitals and food banks are strapped. The Yuma sector had more than 24,000 migrant encounters in August – almost a quarter of the town’s population,” tweeted Ducey.

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Maricopa County Indicts Two Women Transporting over 850,000 Fentanyl Pills

The Maricopa County Grand Jury indicted two women Monday for possessing over 850,000 counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, enough to cause potentially millions of overdoses.

“Two out of five counterfeit pills that come across our border are laced with lethal doses of fentanyl. These drugs are being marketed to our youth in the most proliferous ways and are being produced in candy-like colors. We must hold those who bring these lethal pills into our community accountable,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.

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Border Patrol Agents Seize Record Amounts of Deadly Fentanyl, Meth in Arizona, Texas

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are seizing record amounts of fentanyl and meth in Arizona and Texas brought in by Mexican cartel operatives and foreign nationals trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

In just five separate inspections ahead of Labor Day weekend, for example, officers seized 625,000 pills in Nogales, Arizona, which borders Sonora, Mexico, Michael Humphries, CBP Director of the Nogales Port of Entry, said.

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CBP in Arizona Rescues Infant, Toddler ‘Left to Die’ in Sonoran Desert

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said over the weekend that it rescued two young children who were “left to die” by human smugglers in the scorching Arizona desert. 

“Yesterday smugglers left an infant and a toddler in the Sonoran Desert to die. This is cruelty. And it is gut-wrenching. I commend our agents for their quick response to this dreadful incident and to every incident in which migrant lives are at stake,” CBP’s Chief Patrol Agent in the Tucson Sector John R. Modlin said. 

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Economist Borjas: Immigration Redistributes ‘Wealth from the Native Poor to the Native Rich’

In July alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection made nearly 200,000 arrests at the southern border. President Biden’s push for looser border policies has welcomed an influx of migrants since the beginning of his presidency and, according to the deputy opinion editor at Newsweek, research shows an open border hurts low-income Americans the most.

According to a 2021 study, immigration accounts for a third of the decline in the Black employment rate over the last 40 years, Unherd reports. Newsweek’s deputy opinion editor backs her claim with an argument from economist George Borjas stating, “immigration primarily boosts the incomes of the immigrants themselves, while redistributing wealth from the native poor to the native rich.”

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Customs and Border Protection Seizes Ancient Egyptian Artifact in Memphis

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the port of Memphis, Tenn., seized an ancient Egyptian artifact that is at least 2,600 years old in a shipment from Europe meant for a private U.S. buyer.

The artifact was the stone lid of an Egyptian canopic jar, which was used to hold the internal organs of mummies. The jar featured the face of Imsety, a funeral deity that protected the deceased’s liver in the ancient Egyptian religion.

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Arizona CBP Seizes Cloned Fire Department Vehicle Used by Smugglers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Arizona said Monday it confiscated a look-alike fire department vehicle that it suspects smugglers were using to traffic illegal aliens across the border.

“#ClonedVehicle seized by Douglas Station. Agents responded to a suspected vehicle incursion and encountered the abandoned SUV. Mormon Lake Fire Dist. decals were improperly labeled as ‘Mormon Like.’ Several individuals fled from the vehicle to Mexico before agents arrived,” said Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin on Twitter. 

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Border Patrol Catches Group of 51 Crossing Illegally in Arizona

Over the weekend, a large group of minor illegal aliens was caught crossing the U.S. southern border with Mexico near the town of Sasabe.

“A group of 51 migrants, mostly Guatemalan citizens, were taken into custody by Tucson Station agents near Sasabe, AZ. There was only one adult in the group, and the youngest child was just 11-months-old,” said John Modlin, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector. “Several agents responded to assist with transport and processing.”

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Border Patrol Union Issues Endorsement of Herschel Walker

The union that represents U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Friday endorsed a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia. 

“We are proud to endorse Herschel Walker … for U.S. Senate from the state of Georgia. We need him to help secure our border and safeguard the citizens of GA and the rest of the country from the record setting deadly influx of drugs, crime and illegal immigration,” said the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC). 

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Biden Admin Reducing Illegal Border Crossing Prosecutions: Report

Prosecutions of illegal border crossings under the Biden administration have significantly decreased amid historically high migrant encounters, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo The Washington Free Beacon obtained.

There were only 2,896 migrants transferred to the U.S. Marshal’s custody in the 2021 fiscal year, compared to 13,213 during the previous fiscal year and 20,604 in fiscal year 2019, according to the memo.

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CBP Chief Tries to Reassure the Rank-and-File as Agency Levels Charges Against ‘Whipgate’ Agents

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Chris Magnus promised discontented rank-and-file officials that the agency would always support them despite pursuing charges against agents involved in the now-debunked “whipgate” incident, an internal email obtained exclusively by The Daily Caller News Foundation showed.

When CBP personnel “do the right thing,” the agency “will always stand behind you,” Magnus wrote in the email before announcing the results of the investigation into the September incident that took place in Del Rio, Texas. During the incident, Border Patrol agents used reins to steer their horses and maneuver around migrants entering the United Sates at the Rio Grande, which prompted some Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates to falsely claim the agents whipped migrants.

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Arizona Border Patrol Launches Initiative to Save Migrant Lives During Heat Waves

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Arizona has launched a new initiative to mitigate what has become a pattern of migrants dying in the extreme heat as they attempt to illegally enter the United States. 

“In collaboration with Tucson Border Patrol Sector, Three Points Station and Casa Grande Station personnel will be supporting the deployment of new Heat Stress Kits/Go-Bags that will be distributed to 500 agents,” said a CBP press release. “CBP has launched a feasibility study to enhance heat stress awareness among the workforce and minimize the impact of heat exposure along the southwest border for migrants attempting to make the dangerous journey.”

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Arizona Democrats Call for Permanent Solution on 10th DACA Anniversary

On the tenth anniversary of the implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a law that gives illegal aliens who were brought to America as children immunity from deportation, Arizona’s Democrats are calling for a permanent solution. 

Today marks the 10th anniversary of #DACA, said Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-03). “It’s a reminder that we have a moral obligation to protect Dreamers in AZ and across the nation. We must guarantee certainty for those who have known no other home but this one.”

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Yuma Border Patrol Intercepts 33 Illegal Aliens Being Smuggled in Van

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Arizona’s Yuma Sector Tuesday announced that it apprehended more than 30 illegal aliens who were attempting to be smuggled into the United States in one van. 

“U.S. Border Patrol intelligence agents intercepted a smuggling attempt after National Guard members witnessed multiple suspected migrants load into a van Friday morning,” said Chris T. Clem, Chief Patrol Agent at the Yuma Sector. “Agents discovered 33 migrants inside the van. The U.S. driver and Mex[ican] passenger[s] were arrested.”

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Arizona Border Patrol Arrests Previously Convicted Sex Offender

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Arizona says it has apprehended a convicted sex offender attempting to reenter the United States illegally. 

“Three Points Station agents encountered seven adults and two unaccompanied children west of San Miguel, AZ,” said Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin of CBP’s Tucson Sector. “A Guatemalan citizen in the group, Minor Chingo-Grave, is a registered sex offender.”

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Border Patrol Memo Lays the Groundwork for Mass Release of Illegal Immigrants into the US

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz instructed agency leadership on how the agency plans to release migrants amid a border surge, according to a memo sent Thursday exclusively obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation.

In the memo, which was sent to chief patrol agents and directorate chiefs, Ortiz recognized that Border Patrol faces a “current migrant surge and is preparing for the anticipated increase in encounters of undocumented noncitizens following the anticipated lifting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s [CDC] Title 42 public health order.”

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Brnovich Gives Update on Title 42 Lawsuit

Arizona’s Attorney General Friday gave an update about his lawsuit against the Biden administration seeking to halt the termination of Title 42. 

“Title 42 was so important because it’s one of the last tools we have in our toolbox to prevent even further illegal immigration in this country,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich said. “You look at the numbers just in April. We saw a record number of people illegally entering our country because the Biden administration has decriminalized, incentivized people coming here illegally.”

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CBP Launches Anti-Smuggling Effort at Border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) this week announced a digital advertising campaign geared towards would be illegal aliens who are considering using Mexican cartel smugglers, called “Coyotes,” in order to enter the United States. 

“The ads deliver a clear message: smugglers are lying to you, the fact is that entering the United States illegally is a crime,” CBP said. “The ads highlight that smugglers, known as ‘coyotes,’ who take advantage of and profit from vulnerable migrants.”

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CBP Begins Revealing Number of Alleged Terrorists Who Have Attempted Illegal Entry

U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the McAllen station encounter large group after large group of family units in Los Ebanos, Texas, on Friday June 15. This group well in excess of 100 family units turned themselves into the U.S. Border Patrol, after crossing the border illegally and walking through the town of Los Ebanos.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP), after facing increased pressure from Republican lawmakers, has begun revealing the true numbers of accused terrorists who have been arrested trying to enter the United States illegally.

As reported by Fox News, CBP has been posting the numbers online since last week, following written requests from Republicans in Congress. The data concerns individuals who are officially listed on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB).

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19 Attorneys General Urge Supreme Court to Uphold Ruling Ordering Full Reinstatement of ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy

Nineteen attorneys general, led by Indiana, have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a lawsuit filed by Texas and Missouri against the Biden administration.

They’re asking the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court’s order instructing the Biden administration to follow the law to fully reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), otherwise known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

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Southern Border Migrant Encounters Increased in February

U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations following the implementation of Title 42 USC 265 at the northern and southern land borders. U.S. Border Patrol agents transport a group of individuals encountered near Sasabe, Ariz. to the U.S. Mexico border on March 22, 2020. CBP Photo by Jerry Glaser

Border officials encountered 164,973 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in February, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announcement Tuesday.

The figure represents a 7% increase from January’s encounters, according to CBP.

CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement that February’s overall operational numbers result from “the continued economic rebound from the depths of the COVID pandemic, with CBP officers processing more than 2.8 million shipments in legitimate trade valued at more than $236 billion.”

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Cincinnati Border Patrol Says City’s Port Is Among Busiest for Smuggling

In a Wednesday press release, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a press release detailing its efforts to curb smuggling through the port in Cincinnati, which it says ranked fifth in the nation for smuggling busts in fiscal year 2021. 

“From October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021, Cincinnati seized 6,738 shipments, ranking the port in fifth-place for seizures among all 328 CBP ports of entry nationwide,” the release said. “Additionally, Cincinnati agriculture specialists issued 7,240 Emergency Action Notifications (EANs), the highest number of agriculture seizures ever recorded at the port.”

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Pro-Immigration, BLM Supporting Former Tucson Police Chief Sworn in to Lead Customs and Border Protection

Christopher Magnus

The new head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), sworn into his new role Monday, is an open borders extremist and left-wing activists for causes like Black Lives Matter (BLM).

Former Tucson Police Chief Christopher Magnus is the new CBP, which former Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and immigration hardliner Tom Homan described as the “final nail in the coffin for immigration enforcement.”

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Governor Lee Will Send Tennessee National Guard Troops to Texas Border

Governor Bill Lee announced Tuesday that in early 2022, he will send approximately 50 additional members of the Tennessee National Guard troops to the Texas border to help with the growing drug crisis.

“An open border has far-reaching consequences that are fueling a drug crisis impacting both our national security and the safety of our state,” Governor Lee said.  “I have authorized additional Tennessee Guard support at our Southern border as we look to address drug trafficking at the source.”

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October Southern Border Encounters See 129 Percent Increase over Last Year

Crowd of immigrants

Border Patrol agents encountered 129.7% more people at the southern border this year than last, according to new data published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The greatest number of encounters was in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and the greatest percentage increase was in Yuma, Arizona.

Illegal border crossings have skyrocketed since President Joe Biden took office in January.

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Arizona Gov. Ducey: Cartels Using ‘Uber-Like’ System for Human Smuggling

After a Wednesday meeting with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Tucson Sector, Gov. Doug Ducey (R) explained to KTAR what he learned. 

“One real eye-opening thing that we learned yesterday is that the cartels are using social media to pick up folks that have been trafficked over the border,” Ducey reportedly said. “They’re actually offering American citizens cash on the spot if they’ll deliver people from border drop-off points, like an illegal Uber into the state.”

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