U.S. Border Patrol chief Jason Owens was interviewed on CBS Sunday. It was his first interview since he assumed the position in June 2023.
Owens has more than 25 years with the Border Patrol. He took over the top spot following the retirement of Raul Ortiz. At that time, the DHS Secretary described Owens as a “talented, selfless, and inspiring leader.” The interview was held at CBP headquarters in Washington.
The main concern that Owens delivered during the interview was of the gotaways, the illegal border crossers who do not surrender themselves to Border Patrol agents. They run and disappear into the country. They are not vetted, no one knows who they are or where they go once they cross the southern border.
Owens called for stronger border security and tougher immigration policies to reduce the number of illegal immigrants flooding the southern border.
“I’m talking about jail time. I’m talking about being removed from the country and I’m talking about being banned from being able to come back because you chose to come in the illegal way instead of the established lawful pathways that we set for you,” he said.
If only President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas spoke so seriously about handling the southern border. There would not be such a high number of illegal border crossings if Border Patrol agents were allowed to enforce the immigration laws on the books. Instead, Biden and Mayorkas hamstring law enforcement and many have been turned into administrative clerks tasked with filling out paperwork instead of patroling the border with Mexico.
Border Patrol agents know how to do their jobs. They should be allowed to do them.
What keeps Owens up at night is the 140,000 known gotaways. They pose a national security risk.
“Why are they risking their lives and crossing into areas where we can’t get to?” Owens asked. “Why are they hiding? What do they have to hide? What are they bringing in? What is their intent? Where are they coming from? We simply don’t know the answers to those questions. Those things for us are what represent the threat to our communities.”
“Border security is a big piece of national security,” he said. “And if we don’t know who is coming into our country, and we don’t know what their intent is, that is a threat and they’re exploiting a vulnerability that’s on our border right now.”
The CBS interview portrays most illegal aliens as coming to the United States for jobs, for economic reasons. That isn’t a legitimate reason to claim asylum. They should be immediately turned around and sent back across the border. We know that isn’t what is happening, though. Biden insists on doing catch and release. The vast majority of illegal aliens turn themselves over to Border Patrol. They are processed and released.
Owens is right. Biden’s border crisis is a national security threat. He said a “very small amount” of illegal border crossers are “serious criminals”, such as convicted gang members or sexual offenders.
“I think the migrants that we encounter, that are turning themselves in, yes, I think they are, by and large, good people,” Owens said. “I wish they would choose the right way to come into our country and not start on the wrong foot by breaking our laws.”
It looks like Owens is walking a fine line. He answers to Mayorkas so he has to nuance his answers about border security. It is good to see that he was honest about the people crossing the border – they may be good people but the very first action they take is to enter the United States illegally. They break U.S. law. The law-breaking aspect of crossing the southern border outside of legal ports of entry is rarely mentioned.
A ‘small amount’ of criminal aliens is enough to do great harm. Security experts say it is not if but when something very bad is going to happen that involves illegal aliens wishing to do harm to Americans. That threat likely comes from gotaways. The 140,000 known gotaways spotted on cameras but not apprehended over the last five months, since FY 2024 began, are not vetted and no one knows why they are here. It’s only common sense to assume since they ran from law enforcement, they have something to hide.
The gotaways add to the million apprehensions since the beginning of FY 2024. For the third consecutive year (since Biden took office) DHS is on track to record two million apprehensions by the time FY 2024 ends in September. We are living on borrowed time.
Progressives try to soften the open border disaster by stressing that most of the illegal border crossers are good people. Good people, though, don’t break laws to enter into another country with such a sense of entitlement as we see with the illegals entering the United States. It’s a narrative the administration uses to pull at heartstrings and try to normalize illegal immigration.
FBI director Christopher Wray has voiced concerns about criminals crossing the border and that includes potential terrorists. A record number of people who match names on the terror watch list has been recorded during Biden’s time in the White House.
What is it going to take before the border is secured? I think it will take a new president, one who takes his top job of securing the homeland and protecting Americans seriously. With this administration, though, it looks like it is going to take a tragedy before anything changes.