A surge of migrants using new methods to cross the southern border has raised concerns for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Additionally, this situation has stretched the agency financially.
“The encounter levels we are currently seeing across the southwest border are presenting a serious challenge to the men and women of [Customs and Border Protection],” said Troy A. Miller, the agency’s acting commissioner.
Around 12,600 migrants were intercepted on the nearly 2,000-mile U.S. border between Monday and Tuesday, according to Rep. Henry Cuellar. The Border Patrol, however, considers these numbers unofficial and releases formal monthly encounter data.
The Biden administration has been more aggressive at removing migrants than the Trump administration. However, the administration has signaled concern through its actions and statements. The broader picture, the agency argues, is a pattern well beyond its control.
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A global refugee crisis is playing out around the world, with about 110 million people worldwide who were forced from their homes as of the end of 2022. This is the most significant displacement since the chaos during and after World War II.
In the Western Hemisphere, a regional aspect of the global refugee crisis involves economic collapse and authoritarian rule in Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Additionally, there is a rise in civil violence in Mexican states like Michoacan and Guerrero. CBP reports these findings, emphasizing the complex challenges contributing to the crisis.
The influx of migrants at the border is overwhelming, prompting CBP to pull back staff from official ports of entry. This shift in resources to patrol vast spaces between entry points is exacerbating the broader immigration problem.
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Smugglers are recklessly endangering migrants by placing them in remote border locations, on top of trains. Miller is urging Congress to allocate additional funds to address the evolving methods of human smuggling.
For example, “pseudo-legitimate” travel agencies are selling migrants around the world border-flouting travel packages. These packages route them to jurisdictions from which they can more easily enter the U.S.
New van and bus lines, operating out of the Mexican state of Sonora, are dropping migrants from as far away as Bangladesh and China in the Arizona desert. This practice is overwhelming local agents in the area.
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Finally, the CBP is finding that criminal groups are helping move hundreds of people at a time — including hundreds of children — by rail up to the border.
“We’ve seen dismemberment, we’ve seen deaths, these are families, these are children,” said a source familiar with the issue. However, CBP says it is racing to confront these issues.
At 8 a.m. on December 18, the Customs and Border Protection office shut down international freight rail traffic at the crossings of Eagle Pass and El Paso.
CBP stated that the rail closures aimed to enable the agency to redirect personnel from rail inspection to actively “taking migrants into custody.” CBP attributed the surge in migrants to smugglers actively peddling disinformation to exploit vulnerable individuals.
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