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Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz acknowledged under oath that the immigration crisis is generated when there is a policy without consequences for illegal migrants, like the one implemented by Joe Biden’s administration in the midst of the increased immigration flow.
The comments were obtained by Fox News and are part of a July 28 recorded deposition as part of the proceedings in a lawsuit by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody against the Department of Homeland Security.
Ortiz, who has more than 30 years of experience in border issues, detailed that migration increases when there are no measures to deal with the surge of migrants. “In my experience, we have seen increases when there are no consequences,” he said.
In addition, he explained that “there is an assumption that if migrant populations are told that there is a potential that they may be released, that, yes, you can see increases.” In response to the comments, the lawyer asked him if he considers that the arrival of illegal migrants will increase. “Well, I think it will increase, yes,” Ortiz responded.
The border crisis
Fox News recalled that Moody’s lawsuit “charges that the agencies under Biden’s direction are failing to follow established federal law, the Immigration, and Nationality Act, that requires officials to detain illegal aliens at the border until they are sent back to their country of citizenship.”
Ortiz’s statements come after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged in an interview published in May that since January 21, at least 836,000 illegal aliens have been released. That number is higher than the population of Washington, D.C., or North Dakota.
In 2021 there were 1.7 million border patrol encounters with illegal migrants, and so far in 2022, there have been more than 1 million reported encounters. Despite the numbers indicating that the issue is of increasing concern, the secretary has said that the administration has “effectively managed” the situation at the border.
Williams Perdomo es periodista y escritor, especializado en las fuentes Política y Cultura.