As the situation at the border intensifies, officials are employing more resources and tools to prevent illegal entry into the country.
Fox News Digital reported from the El Paso Sector, where Border Patrol agents apprehended several groups of undocumented immigrants during an early morning patrol. One group, primarily composed of Ecuadorians, was intercepted near the bollard border wall that separates the U.S. from Mexico. After being checked, provided with water, and asked to remove shoelaces and hand over personal belongings, the group was transported to a local Border Patrol station.
Upon arrival at the station, the group will face Title 8 removal proceedings. These proceedings could result in a swift return to their home country via expedited removal, or they may be allowed to enter the U.S. while awaiting their immigration removal proceedings and court hearing.
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In another area near the port of entry, agents apprehended a group of migrants from Ecuador, Bolivia, and Guatemala who had cut a hole in the border fence. The group, which included two small children, was stopped just feet from the hole they had created. The border fence is reinforced with bollards in some areas, some of which are filled with concrete to deter cutting.
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Border Patrol agents have also discovered makeshift ladders and ropes discarded near parts of the wall that are more difficult to penetrate. This area has been a hotspot for smugglers for years, and their tactics are notoriously ruthless. They often abandon migrants who become injured or knowingly send them across the border despite the dangers posed by the elements. In 2021, smugglers callously left a five-year-old and three-year-old girl behind, dropping them over the fence before they were rescued by agents.
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Border Patrol Agent Claudio Herrera informed Fox News Digital that nearly 600 distressed migrants were rescued in FY 23, and over 320 have been rescued so far in FY 24. "Unfortunately, we have seen in the past how these transnational criminal organizations stash these migrants south of the border. And they don't give them food or enough water. By the time they're already arrived at our borders, they're already dehydrated," he said.
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During some migrant surges, the majority of undocumented immigrants have turned themselves in, hoping to be released. However, this is not the case here. One agent disclosed to Fox that the vast majority of encounters (as high as 95%) involve migrants attempting to evade Border Patrol rather than surrendering, suggesting that they have been advised by smugglers that their chances of being returned are high.
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Apprehensions in the sector have significantly decreased from last year. There were 427,471 in FY 23 by Border Patrol. So far in FY 24, which began in October, there have been just over 150,000. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) attributes this decrease in part to a multi-layered enforcement strategy that combines existing barriers, technology including autonomous surveillance towers, K-9 units, and recent cooperation with state police to stop illegal entrants.
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"We are doing a fantastic job interdicting these individuals from smuggling schemes, in vehicles or also in the stash houses. We also have our checkpoints. We also have canines. We also have horse patrol, ATVs, you name it. We have all these different assets that help us do our job better," Herrera said.
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In other parts of the sector, Texas has fortified existing barriers with additional layers of razor wire, leading to a legal battle with the federal government. However, the Sunland Park area is overshadowed by Mount Cristo Rey, where border barriers cannot be erected due to the rugged terrain. Small white obelisks mark the boundary between the U.S. and Mexico. This area is hazardous for both migrants and agents.
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Agents spotted a helicopter from CBP’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) flying low over the mountain's border with Mexico. They followed up the mountain, where cartel scouts were positioned just on the Mexican side. A group of adult male migrants overseen by the scouts quickly retreated upon seeing the agents.
However, the scouts remained just feet from the border, making obscene gestures at the agents and filming them and Fox’s reporter. The Border Patrol vehicle ascended the mountain and later returned, at which point the scouts had crossed into the U.S. side but quickly retreated back to the Mexican side upon seeing the vehicle.
For the agents, they don't need to spend much time in the mountains. With the additional levels of surveillance, including autonomous surveillance towers that use AI to track and identify migrants, agents can monitor any migrants crossing the mountain and wait for them at the bottom when they descend and have exhausted themselves.
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