Border Patrol chiefs say there is a “new phenomenon” of migrants turning themselves in and avoiding arrest because they know they will be released under the Biden administration's policies.
The stunning confessions of the heads of several border sectors were revealed during testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee. The committee, led by Republican Mark Green, is actively investigating Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' role in perpetuating the ongoing border crisis.
DailyMail.com only reviewed transcripts of the chiefs' depositions made between May and September 2023.
Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke of the San Diego Sector told investigators in May that the rising number of migrants turning themselves in is relatively new.
He confirmed that the huge number of illegal migrants who 'give up' and do not actively try to avoid arrest is a 'more recent phenomenon'.
Immigrants arrive at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on December 7, 2023
A wave of immigrants illegally passing through openings cut into the border wall by smugglers has overwhelmed U.S. immigration authorities, causing them to close several international ports of entry so agents can help process the new arrivals.
Another agent, Gloriza Chavez of the Rio Grande Valley Sector, confirmed these comments, telling lawmakers in September that they are seeing “many” family units specifically turning themselves in to border officials.
Chief Patrol Officer John Modlin told investigators that the number of migrants who “give up” and surrender themselves to officers is in the hundreds.
Modlin, who operates in Arizona's Tuscon sector, said that because of the frequency of “large quit groups” now, “it's not unusual to see a group of 200 to 300 people give themselves up, and they do.” in some of the most remote areas.”
As a result, it is “saturating” Border Patrol agents in the field and drawing significant resources to those areas, he said during a statement in July.
Encounters with migrants at the open southern border reached their highest level ever in a single day last Tuesday, as as many as 12,000 people flooded across the border into the US.
In the Tucson sector specifically, a wave of migrant encounters has resulted in hundreds of adult male crossings from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The sector saw 17,500 meetings in one week, the highest weekly total ever recorded.
Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens told the committee that migrants in his Del Rio Sector are “predominantly turning themselves in.”
And sometimes those large groups would get “over 500 people” into his sector, where they would “wait for us to arrive” and be processed, he told lawmakers in May.
“There's – for most of my career I've been chasing people who have crossed the border illegally. The phenomenon of people turning themselves in has happened, but not at the level I have seen in recent years,” he continued.
“Secretary Mayorkas' policies encourage law-breaking to the extent that record numbers of illegal aliens are actually turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents, expecting to be released, rather than trying to escape across the border uncaught.” said Chairman Green, R-Tenn. , DailyMail.com told in an exclusive statement.
He said this secretary's policies actively “encourage blatant violation” of the law and that chief patrol officers have made it clear that this is a relatively new phenomenon.
Mayorkas revealed in October that 600,000 migrants evaded arrest when crossing the US border illegally this year alone
And it is not known whether 169 terror watchlist members who illegally crossed the southern border are in jail or have been deported.
Republicans on the committee are investigating Mayorkas' role in the growing border security crisis. They are expected to complete the fifth phase of their report in the coming weeks, possibly suggesting that an impeachment investigation into Biden's top official is warranted.
Republicans on the committee are investigating Mayorkas' role in the growing border security crisis
Migrants are turning themselves in to officers in large numbers, instead of actively evading arrest
Encounters with migrants at the open southern border reached their highest level ever in a single day last Tuesday, as as many as 12,000 people flooded across the border into the US.
Last month, however, the House of Representatives voted down a proposal by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to impeach Mayorkas after a handful of Republicans sided with Democrats against the measure.
In a vote of 209 to 201, eight Republicans joined Democrats in voting to refer the impeachment resolution back to the Homeland Security Committee — effectively dismissing it indefinitely.
But Greene plans to bring up articles of impeachment again in the coming days under a “privileged” resolution, forcing her colleagues to vote on the measure within two days.
Democrats have argued that this is “not a valid basis for impeachment.”
Homeland Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, D-Ga., has said the GOP investigation has been “manufactured” throughout the process.
He issued a statement saying the committee's interviews with border chiefs over the summer showed the Biden administration “enforces border and immigration laws in an orderly, humane manner, consistent with prior administrations of both parties.”