Consistent Surge of People Crossing Illegally

The number of people crossing the border illegally is on the rise. The Border Patrol chief said the number of people coming across is consistent with the surge two years ago.

Chief Patrol Agent and Commander of the South Texas Corridor Manuel Padilla Jr. insisted this time, his agents are better prepared and border security isn’t in jeopardy.

{snip}

“So what happened in 2014, we had a surge but it became a crisis because we did not have the infrastructure and the processes to deal with those numbers. I can tell you 2016, even if we were to reach the numbers of 2014, it will not be a crisis,” Padilla said.

Numbers for Central Americans went up or stayed consistent. The number of Mexicans being apprehended by Border Patrol went down. Padilla said fewer Mexicans are crossing over.

“If you look at the demographics of Mexico, right now, the family units that we saw in Mexico when I was growing up, when you had families with 10 plus kids, that isn’t a common thing anymore. Now it’s two or three kids, so the economy in Mexico and here has some factors,” Padilla said.

{snip}

Padilla insists the border is secure and he can request additional agents for the area when needed. Cabrera said at least 1,500 more agents are needed in the area.