Texas Border Business
FRONTON, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector continues to process sustained heavy volumes of family units making an illegal entry. Currently, the sector is averaging 1,600 apprehensions daily, with family units accounting for 1,100 of that total which equates to a 250% increase in family units this year.
This morning, agents assigned to the Rio Grande City station apprehended more than 400 illegal aliens in multiple groups near Fronton, Texas. Agents transported the subjects from the banks of the Rio Grande to locations in Roma, Texas for transport to processing facilities.
The Border Patrol continues to experience an unprecedented humanitarian and border security crisis. The large groups in the field and at our stations have far exceeded the holding capacity of facilities. The sector holding capacity is 3,363 and there are currently more than 8,000 illegal aliens in custody. Since March, Border Patrol has been forced to directly release processed, non-criminal family units from locations that are dangerously over capacity: locally, we have released close to 20,000 illegal aliens into the communities of Brownsville, Harlingen, and McAllen.
Due to the record numbers, stations are utilizing sally ports and temporary soft-sided structures to shelter individuals awaiting processing and/or transfer. The Border Patrol is leveraging assistance from other federal agencies such as the Office of Field Operations which pulls officers away from their duties at the local ports of entry, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard, and recently arrived officers from the Federal Protective Service. “Resources consumed by the massive influx of illegal aliens and these humanitarian efforts along the South Texas border are beyond a breaking point and has put border security at risk”, said Chief Patrol Agent Rodolfo Karisch. On Saturday, May 4, 2019, RGV added a new soft-sided modular facility in Donna, Texas, that short-term holding facility is beyond capacity. Soon, we will work to construct another tent on that same property.
