Policy
Written by Bethany Blankley (Center Square)
As Texas continues to grapple with major illegal crossing points on its border with Mexico, illegal entries have increased in Arizona, California and New Mexico where similar policies are not enforced, Texas officials say.
Through Gov. Greg Abbott's border security mission, Operation Lone Star, National Guard soldiers work to prevent illegal entry, and Texas Department of Public Safety officers focus on prevention. When illegal entries occur, Texas DPS officers and other law enforcement personnel arrest illegal alien citizens for criminal trespassing or other state crimes they may be violating.
Abbott, with the support of the state Legislature, said the goal is to prevent illegal entry and ensure consequences for those who pass through.
“Illegal entry into Texas has consequences,” which is why Mexican cartels and transnational criminal organizations are redirecting smuggling operations to Arizona, California and New Mexico, said Mike Banks, a border official at the border, referring to federal data.
Under Banks, Texas implemented the “PDI Strategy” for positioning, deterrence, and interdiction to explain To the center square. “If you look at the number of illegal border crossings today, Texas is 30% of them. The other 70% are crossing in Arizona, California and New Mexico. Why? Because they don’t show the resistance that Texas has.”
The border between the United States and Mexico is 1,954 miles long. Texas, which shares the longest border with Mexico at 1,254 miles, or 64% of the total, has historically had the highest number of illegal border crossings.
Texas also has the largest number of Customs and Border Protection sectors of any state in the country with five. California and Arizona have two. New Mexico has nothing but Nearly 40 percent of illegal entry into the El Paso sector of West Texas comes from New Mexico, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. An unknown number of fugitives are illegally entering New Mexico, which has far fewer agents in this area due to several factors, officials said.
The number of Gotways, those who deliberately enter illegally to avoid arrest, is estimated to have increased by more than 2 million nationwide since January 2021, and The Center Square mentioned.
When broken down by recent months, illegal entries increased in California and Arizona and decreased significantly in Texas, according to CBP data. Data refer only to Border Patrol arrests and exclude Office of Field Operations data and escape data.
In Arizona, in November 2023, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector reported apprehending 64,637 illegal border crossers; and in the Yuma sector, 6,159. In December 2023, arrests increased to 80,184 in Tucson and 7,144 in Yuma. Last month, arrests dropped to 50,565 in Tucson and 3,735 in Yuma, according to the data.
In the winter months, illegal entries generally decline, although they have been historically high in the past few years compared to previous administrations.
In California, in November 2023, Border Patrol agents in the San Diego Sector apprehended 31,164 illegal border crossers; in El Centro Sector 1,787. In December 2023, arrests increased to 34,372 in San Diego and 2,222 in El Centro. In January, they dropped to 24,709 and 1,127, respectively.
In Texas, in November 2023, Border Patrol agents apprehended 22,405 illegal border crossers in the El Paso Sector (40% coming from New Mexico, an estimated 8,960), 427 in the Big Bend Sector, and 42,951 in Del Rio , and 2,810 in Laredo. and 18,773 in the Rio Grande Valley.
In December 2023, three of the five Texas sectors saw declines. El Paso and Del Rio saw increases. El Paso agents arrested 33,966 illegal border crossers (an estimated 13,586 in New Mexico) and in Del Rio 71,048. The number of arrests in the Big Bend area dropped to 322 people, Laredo to 2,267 people, and the Rio Grande Valley to 18,210 people.
Arrests declined further statewide last month after Abbott closed an area in Eagle Pass. In El Paso, more than 400 miles west of Eagle Pass, arrests were cut in half; In the Del Rio and Rio Grande Valley sectors, they fell by about a third, according to the data.
Last month, 17,515 illegal border crossers were apprehended in El Paso (an estimated 7,006 in New Mexico), 324 in Big Bend, 16,712 in Del Rio, 2,193 in Laredo, and 7,340 in the Rio Grande Valley.
When comparing the first quarter of fiscal 2024 to the first quarter of fiscal 2023, concerns increased by approximately 74% in the San Diego sector in California and by 182% in the Tucson sector in Arizona.
Arrests are down across all sectors of Texas compared to the same time period even though 2024 fiscal concerns nationwide have reached a level The highest ever.
From 1QFY23 to 1QFY24, concerns in the El Paso sector decreased by more than 50%; and in Big Bend, about 70%; In Laredo by 40%, Rio Grande Valley by 23%, and Del Rio by 1%.
“As Texas controls an area, we will maintain that area and we will expand. We will acquire, maintain and expand. We will prevent illegal entry into the state of Texas,” Banks said.
Published with permission from Center Square.
