MISSION, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol brokers encountered almost 220 individuals on Monday, a pointy decline from greater than 1,800 on the identical day final 12 months.
As a part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, the Coast Guard has ramped up its operations alongside the Rio Grande.
The U.S. Coast Guard is rising its presence alongside Border Patrol, bolstering operations with extra boats and personnel.
TRUMP RAMPS UP CARTEL SURVEILLANCE EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN BORDER SECURITY
United States and U.S. Coast Guard flags are displayed on a Coast Guard vessel. (Sarah Alegre )
“We are augmenting our Border Patrol partners in key areas along the Rio Grande,” stated Capt. Torrey Bertheau, sector commander for Corpus Christi. “Our mission is to detect, deter, and interdict illegal migration, drug smuggling—really any kind of illicit activity.”
We embedded alongside the Coast Guard for a have a look at operations and exercise alongside the Rio Grande, when the crew encountered a suspected cartel spotter alongside the riverbank, a typical tactic utilized by smugglers to watch regulation enforcement actions.
BORDER STATE OFFICIALS PUT CARTELS ON NOTICE
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Torrey Burtheau factors to clutter belonging to suspected smugglers alongside the Rio Grande. (Sarah Alegre)
Since Trump took workplace final month, border crossings have dropped considerably. In accordance with new knowledge from Customs and Border Safety, 61,465 individuals had been apprehended on the southern border in the course of the month of January for unlawful crossings. That’s a 36% decline from the earlier month and unlawful crossings alongside the southwest border have fallen to their lowest ranges in a long time.
Regardless of the decline, Bertheau emphasised that smuggling operations proceed.
“This is still a high-threat area,” he stated. “The augmentation mission here is really to assist the Border Patrol in the areas that they need it.”
ACTIVISTS IN MEXICO REPORT FLOW OF MIGRANTS HAS ‘ENORMOUSLY DECREASED’
A ship is stuffed with U.S. Coast Guard crew members helping Border Patrol brokers alongside the Rio Grande. (Sarah Alegre)
Past the river, the Coast Guard can also be stepping up patrols alongside all Texas maritime boundaries. Final week in Port Isabel, guardsmen detained two people aboard a fishing boat—one was within the nation illegally, and the opposite was wished on felony weapons fees.
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“Whether the surge is happening or not, our goal is to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the United States is protected,” Bertheau stated.
