Border Patrol Chief: Assaults on Agents Have Increased 200% From Previous Year-to-Dat

By PAUL BEDARD • 11/30/16 10:01 AM

The new head of the U.S. Border Patrol on Wednesday conceded that if illegal immigrants make it to the U.S.-Mexico border, they will be released into the United States under current policy.

"Right now they know that if they make it to the border, they will be released into the interior of the United States," said Mark Morgan, chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. "It sends a strong message to those folks in the country that if you get to the us border, we're going to let you in. It's a huge pull factor," he added.

He and his deputy, however, said that the current surge of illegals could be stalled if the administration renewed a policy of turning illegals away, a change from the so-called "catch and release" plan.

The officials said that illegal immigration surged back this year after a one-year lull and that the number of unaccompanied illegal children caught crossing the border has jumped in the last six weeks to 229 a day.

In joint testimony provided to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the agency's top two officials also detailed how an expanded and toughened wall has helped to cut illegal immigration and protect agents.

In their prepared testimony, the Border Patrol officials said that 408,870 illegal crossers were caught in the last fiscal year, which ended in September. That was higher than in fiscal 2015.

What's more, Morgan and Deputy Chief Carla Provost revealed that apprehensions of younger, "unaccompanied alien children," has surged since October 1. By November 16, some 10,549 have been caught, a 38 percent one year surge.

"There has been a noticeable upward trend over the past year," the two told the committee chaired by Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson. Johnson has been focused on border issues during his chairmanship, having held 19 hearings on the issue.

"We continue the process of laying out the reality of our insecure borders," he said in his opening statement.

According to authorities, Border Patrol catches about half of those who try to enter the United States, suggesting that an equal 408,870 made it into the country without detection in the last fiscal year.

The new surge in illegals, especially youths, has forced the Obama administration to scramble for a needed $167 million to house and feed them for just one month.

Officials told the Center for Immigration Studies that funds dedicated to Medicare, older Americans and cancer research are being raided to cover the costs of illegals.

Some have attributed the new surge to the election of President-elect Trump, who has vowed to continue construction of a wall between the United States and Mexico.

In their testimony, the Border Patrol chiefs suggested that a wall works. They described a sophisticated network of walls and technology that have helped drive down illegal crossings.

"In accordance with the Secure Fence Act of 2006, CBP has deployed several different types and layers of pedestrian and vehicle fencing in locations along the Southwest border based on a risk and vulnerabilities assessment to deter and prevent unlawful border entry. Tactical fencing provides a persistent method to impede illegal cross-border activity, which offers Border Patrol agents additional time to respond to and resolve threats. The physical stature of the fence can afford agents additional cover, while preserving their ability to see potential adversaries, making physical assaults against them more difficult to carry out," said their prepared testimony.

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