We do not have a border: A report from Del Rio, Texas
BY KYLE SHIDELER
Del Rio is located within Val Verde County which consists of approximately 3,200 square miles of mostly ranch land surrounding the man-made Amistad Reservoir, and across from the Mexican city of Acuna.I arrived in Del Rio on June 3rd, with a fact-finding delegation organized by the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Border Security Coalition of which the Center is a member. The Border Patrol’s processing capacity is around 120 people – the day before 800 people were apprehended.
The total numbers are staggering.119,000 illegal border-crossers have been apprehended this year alone, representing a dramatic 393% increase from last year. Internal government estimates project 1.1 million adults, 820,000 families and 200,000 by the end of September. The last time apprehensions broke 1 million was 2006.
If the estimates are accurate, 2021 will be the first year apprehensions are over 2 million, the second highest year being 2000 with 1.6 million apprehensions. ‘Processing’ at the BorderIllegal crossers are made up of two types – those who want to get caught, and those who don’t.
Those who want to be caught typically come from countries with temporary protected status, in family units, or are unaccompanied minors. While there are those who attempt to pose as fraudulent family groups, one Border Patrol agent told me they’ve gotten pretty good at identifying fakers.
While crossing, they set off sensors or video and wait for the Border Patrol to come and pick them up. They are processed, a sponsor in the U.S. (usually family) is identified for them, and they are handed a “Notice to Report” form, which instructs them to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) upon arrival at their final destination. Then they are free to go.
https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Shideler-Border-Report-V1-Optimize.pdf
