CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA.- The head of U.S. Border Patrol says that agents stopped four sex offenders – including those with convictions of crimes against children – attempting to cross into the U.S. illegally in the space of a single day.
Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, who took over the position in July, announced that his agents arrested four convicted sex offenders on Wednesday.
Those arrested had charges of “Sexual abuse of a child,” “rape by force/fear,” “indecency with a child and aggravated sexual assault” and “indecency with a child exposes.”
That comes after Owens announced last week that agents encountered three sex offenders in a single day – along with 10 firearms and two armed subjects.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants that crossed the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico near Sasabe, Arizona, on Jan. 23, 2022.
On Thursday, August 2nd, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced that its troopers had arrested an illegal immigrant from Mexico for the possession or promotion of child pornography.
The arrests are occurring amid an ongoing crisis at the southern border that has seen record numbers since 2021, including nearly 2.4 million encounters in fiscal year 2022. In that year, there were more than 12,000 encounters of criminal illegal immigrants by Border Patrol.
Republican critics of the administration have pointed to the record number of getaways, including nearly 600,000 last fiscal year, and raised concerns about the number of criminals who may be seeking to evade Border Patrol and get into the U.S.
The administration has shot back, calling on Congress to pass reforms to fix the “broken” system in which the Department of Homeland Security says it is working. It has called for additional funding for processing.
Source: Excelsior
