U.S. Border Patrol Archives - The Virginia Star

ICE Confirms Man in Deadly Shootout with Texas Police Entered U.S. Illegally

August 2, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Federal immigration authorities confirmed that a man killed after getting into a Sunday shootout with San Antonio police had entered the United States unlawfully less than a year ago.

Jorge Jose Chacon-Gutierrez allegedly exchanged fire with three San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) officers early Sunday morning inside an apartment home after the officers arrived in response to a domestic violence call, according to KSAT, a local outlet. The shootout left Chacon-Gutierrez dead and one officer, Viviana Rodriguez, hospitalized.

New Panama President Following Through on Pledge to Cut Illegal Migration to U.S.

July 21, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

The Panamanian government is touting progress on efforts to reduce illegal migration through the Darien Gap, a dense jungle region that has long served as a gateway point for South American migrants making their way to the United States.

The National Border Service, Panama’s version of the U.S. Border Patrol, reported that 11,363 migrants had crossed into the country from Colombia since July 1, when President Jose Raul Mulino first entered office, according to The Associated Press. That number marks roughly 9,000 fewer crossings compared to the same time period last year.

Border Patrol Union Defends Biden Jabs: ‘Yep, We Said All That, and We Mean Every Bit of it’

March 4, 2024 Just the News

President Joe Biden at the Southern Border

The National Border Patrol Council defended its derision of President Joe Biden’s visit to the border after the official U.S. Border Patrol union praised former President Donald Trump and mocked Biden as tired and wanting ice cream.

“Yep, we said all that, and we mean every bit of it,” the union said Saturday evening on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a Fox News article about its repeated jabs against Biden.

Border Czar Banks: Texas’ Successful Efforts Push Illegal Entry West

February 6, 2024 The Center Square

by Bethany Blankley One year in as Texas’ “border czar,” Mike Banks says the state has been so successful at blocking illegal entry that cartel activity has been pushed west into Democratic-led states that aren’t implementing similar tactics that Texas has. Banks spoke with The Center Square in an…

Commentary: Combating the Federal Government’s Determination to Allow a Border Invasion

January 18, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

The invasion of illegal aliens on our southern border is getting worse by the day. Texas is at the forefront of this problem, comprising almost half of the nation’s border with Mexico. After years of failure by the Obama and Biden administrations, our state has finally decided to act to protect our citizens.

A new law was signed by the governor, making illegal immigration a state crime and empowering local and state law enforcement to carry out this new law. This should have happened years ago. The border crisis is not new. Inaction by the governor has continued to allow illegal aliens, including documented terrorists, into our state.

More than 300,000 Illegal Aliens Entered U.S. through Southwest Border in September Alone

October 24, 2023 The Center Square

More than 300,000 people illegally entered the U.S. through the southwest border in September, according to newly released U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and gotaway data first reported by The Center Square.

Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations agents apprehended 269,735 people last month and Border Patrol agents reported at least 33,203 known gotaways, bringing the total to 302,938.

Acting ICE leader to Vacate Post, Second Biden Immigration Leader to Leave in June

June 6, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting leader Tae Johnson will leave his position at the end of June, marking the second high-profile exit by an immigration official in recent weeks as the Biden administration struggles to combat a surge in illegal migration at the southern border.

The agency confirmed Johnson’s upcoming departure in a Monday statement, saying “[a]fter more than 30 years of dedicated service to our nation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Tae D. Johnson will retire from federal law enforcement at the end of the month,” according to the Washington Examiner.

Border Chief in Sworn Testimony: Southern Border ‘Is Currently in a Crisis’

August 31, 2022August 30, 2022 The Center Square

As part of ongoing litigation against the Biden administration, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody continues to uncover what she calls “damning evidence” about the consequences stemming from Biden administration policies changing federal immigration laws.

Moody’s chief deputy on July 28 deposed U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, who testified under oath that the Biden administration purposely reduced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention capacity and changed the removal process of people illegally in the U.S.

Uvalde Police Face Criticism over Response to Texas School Shooting

May 28, 2022May 27, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

Law enforcement authorities in Uvalde, Texas are facing questions and criticism over how much time elapsed during the elementary school shooting Tuesday, before a U.S. Border Patrol team burst in and shot the gunman to death, the Associated Press reported.

There were conflicting reports on Thursday regarding the timeline of events, with some eyewitnesses saying police hesitated outside the building as the gunman, Salvador Ramos, was inside shooting schoolkids, while officials say the police engaged immediately.

Over 40 Terror Watchlist Suspects Crossed the Border Illegally on Biden’s Watch

April 25, 2022April 24, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

At least 42 suspects on the United States terror watchlist have been arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) trying to enter the country illegally across the southern border.

As reported by Fox News, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Office of Field Operations reported that they have “arrested 42 subjects who were on the terror watchlist and attempted to enter the United States illegally” since January 20th, 2021. These individuals were all found in the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), which archives information on all foreign individuals who are “reasonably suspected” of being involved with terrorist organizations and activities.

Border Patrol Catch Potential Saudi Terrorist Entering Arizona Illegally from Mexico

December 25, 2021December 24, 2021 The Center Square

A Saudi Arabian man described by a U.S. Border Patrol chief as a “potential terrorist” was apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. illegally near Yuma, Arizona. He was apprehended wearing a New York county ambulance jacket.

Yuma Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Chris Clem announced the apprehension on Twitter with an accompanying blurred photo of the man.

“Yuma Sector agents apprehended a potential terrorist who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico Thursday night,” Clem wrote. “The 21-year-old migrant from Saudi Arabia is linked to several Yemeni subjects of interest.”

With Migrant Caravan en Route to Texas, Border Was ‘Not a Focus’ in Biden Talks with Mexican Leader

November 29, 2021November 28, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Joe Biden

As another caravan of Central Americans and Haitians heads north to the U.S. southern border, the Biden administration is making little apparent effort to comply with a federal judge’s order to reinstate the Remain in Mexico Policy, while also claiming to be focusing on border security.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has repeatedly sued the administration over immigration, says the administration is inviting illegal aliens to the U.S. while also making it harder for Border Patrol agents to do their jobs.

A caravan of roughly 2,000 Central Americans and Haitians left Tapachula, Mexico recently — the same day President Biden met with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Instead of sending a clear message to the caravan to turn around, the leaders sent an implicit message that the border is open and the Remain in Mexico Policy remains inoperative.

Commentary: Biden Reinstates Catch and Release with More Than 227,000 Illegal Aliens Released Since January 2021

October 14, 2021October 13, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

President Joe Biden has reinstated “catch and release,” a policy allowing illegal aliens to be released into the United States pending an immigration hearing — which had been discontinued under former President Donald Trump — resulting in more than 227,000 illegal aliens being released on their own recognizance through Aug. 2021.

That is out of 535,000 aliens apprehended in Fiscal Year 2021 by the U.S. Border Patrol, a porous 42 percent catch-and-release rate by Biden.

26 Governors Seek Meeting with Biden over Border Surge

September 21, 2021September 20, 2021 RealClearWire

More than half of the country’s governors would like a moment of the president’s time – and soon: Twenty-six Republican governors are urging Joe Biden to do more to address the deteriorating situation along the southern U.S. border.

“As chief executives of our states,” they write in a letter postmarked for Monday and first obtained by RealClearPolitics, “we request a meeting with you at The White House to bring an end to the national security crisis created by eight months of unenforced borders.”

The GOP chief executives are requesting an audience “within 15 days” given that the “the crisis that began at our southern border now extends beyond to every state and requires immediate action before the situation worsens.”

U.S. to Begin Expelling Thousands of Migrants in Del Rio, Texas, Effort to Include Flights to Haiti

September 20, 2021September 20, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden administration is expected to begin the large-scale expulsion Sunday of thousands of migrants encamped in the Texas border city of Del Rio, using several flights a day to return them to their home country.

The effort is expected to involve two to eight flights daily, sources told the Associated Press.

Migrants began arriving in Del Rio, a frequent destination for illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, several days ago, huddling under a bridge while they wait to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents. Many of them are from Haiti.

Commentary: Joe Biden’s Top 10 Blunders

August 30, 2021August 29, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

As I’ve watched the events of the past few weeks – and thought about the nature of Joe Biden’s young presidency – I began to ask myself: How much more of this can we take?

In just seven months, President Biden has overseen a remarkable number of complete blunders. To make sense of them all and consider how to overcome them, I decided to make a list of them. Of course, it would take months of time and writing to list all the errors Biden has made in his 48 years in politics, so I decided to start at his inauguration in January. These are roughly in chronological order. It seemed impossible to rank them as so many of them could have lasting, unforeseeable consequences.

1 – Bipartisan Baloney

As I write in my upcoming book, Beyond Biden, which will be released on Nov. 2, the first major mistake Biden made was immediately failing to live up to the pledges he made in his inaugural address. In his inaugural address, Biden said: “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation.”

Biden’s Child Detention Centers Are Now Bursting at the Seams

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Government facilities that host unaccompanied migrant children are rapidly reaching capacity due to COVID-19 operational restrictions, causing the Biden administration to rely on a privately operated Trump-era facility in Texas.

An emergency temporary facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, was reopened Monday and around 200 migrant children were transported to the facility that will hold up to 700 migrant teenagers due to permanent facilities reaching maximum capacity and increasing apprehensions of unaccompanied children, CBS News reported. U.S. Border Patrol encountered over 5,700 unaccompanied minors in January 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).