Video at source link.
~~~

Union claims agents are discouraged from reporting certain facts

POSTED: 07:07 PM CDT Mar 23, 2015 UPDATED: 07:56 PM CDT Mar 23, 2015

WESLACO -

The chief of the Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley sector says he stands behind the statistics his agency reports.

The statement comes after a representative for the local Border Patrol union testified in Washington that stats are being manipulated.

Chief Kevin Oaks says Border Patrol agents in the Valley catch on average about 75 percent of people who cross the border illegally.

Chris Cabrera, with the National Border Patrol Council Local 3307, says the real percentage is half of that.

Reading a prepared statement in front senators who hold the power to make change, Cabrera claimed Border Patrol statistics are wrong.

"Our numbers obviously are very different from their numbers, but our guys are out there on the front line every day, seeing this stuff," Cabrera said.

Cabrera represents the men and women who wear a Border Patrol uniform and are union members.

Cabrera says agents on the front lines all know that 75 is way too high of number for the percentage of people crossing the border who get caught.

"35 to 40 percent from what we've seen out in the field, from what our agents out in the field on a daily basis tell us that this is what we're catching, this is the sign that we're seeing," Cabrera said.

Cabrera claims that agents aren't trusted to accurately report large groups of illegal crossers, especially if many of them get away.

The union says agents are discouraged from reporting the real number of people who get away. In fact, they say they have to get supervisors out in the field to confirm the number of footprints they find, versus how many people were caught.

Oaks says it's true that supervisors often confirm detentions the field. He says that's only to make sure the numbers are correct.

"Any agent that reports more than 10, or 20, or 20 or whatever that got away would never be disciplined by me because that's what we want them to do … go out and do their job and accurately report what they see," Oaks said.

Oaks said he stands behind his agency's statistics and the formula that's used to get them.

The idea that he would send false stats to those with the power to send his agents more resources is laughable to him.

"The statistics I report, the data integrity that I report, is reported to congress. To the best of our knowledge and the best of our ability, we try to find out every person that crossed, every person that we caught, and verify all the people that get away, if in fact some get away. I have an obligation to report the truth," Oaks said.

Numbers aside, the chief and the union agree that agents can't catch everyone who crosses the Rio Grande.

Both want agents to have the resources they need to make the border as secure as possible.

Oaks says the formula used to get that 75 percent statistic is similar to what local police departments use to calculate their uniform crime stats every day.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/...stics/31973430