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The head of the U.S. Border Patrol is praising his agents after they nabbed ten sex offenders, a slew of deadly drugs, and other illegal immigrants wanted for serious crimes in just three days — while also rescuing nearly two dozen migrants from danger.
“Extremely Proud!” tweeted Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz as he listed off the accomplishments the men and women in green had accomplished in just three days.
Ortiz said that agents had stopped 13 lbs of methamphetamine, 26 lbs of heroin and 131 lbs of fentanyl in that time period. Fentanyl, more than 50-100 times more potent than morphine, has been blamed for the increase in overdose deaths across the country.
May 5, 2022: A migrant family sits after being processed in Roma, Texas.(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Agents also stopped 10 sex offenders, three gang members, one “assassination suspect” and a fugitive wanted for murder from getting into the country. Border Patrol agents regularly pick up migrants, sometimes traveling among large groups of migrants, who are members of gangs like MS-13 or who have sex crime convictions.
In a separate release, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detailed how agents in Del Rio picked up one migrant on Tuesday with a prior conviction of sexual assault in Washington, and another on Wednesday who was previously convicted of statutory rape. Both had previously been deported.
Separately, Ortiz said that agents had encountered 18 large groups of migrants, totaling a massive 2,446 migrants. They had also conducted 22 water rescues in that time period. Additionally, three agents had been assaulted doing their duties.
The stats mark a window into the ongoing crisis at the southern border and the sheer number of challenges that Border Patrol faces each day.
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There were more than 234,000 migrant encounters at the southern border in April, and officials are warning that those numbers could rise as the summer months approach — despite the deadly heat many of those migrants will face.
Numbers could rise further,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a recent video. “From confusion over recent court orders and as smugglers continue to peddle misinformation to make a profit: we are prepared.”