Published August 19, 2022 4:00pm EDT
Border Patrol arrests suspected illegal immigrants wearing ghillie suits to blend into desert
The number of migrant encounters at the US-Mexico border has jumped significantly to around 2 million this fiscal year, officials said this week.
By Louis Casiano , Bill Melugin | Fox News
Three migrants attempting to sneak into the United States from Mexico took a page from a covert military handbook when they were recently found trying to blend in with the surrounding terrain to avoid detection.
Border Patrol agents in the agency's El Paso Sector arrested the three migrants, who were wearing ghillie suits as they allegedly snuck through the desert in southern New Mexico.
The gillie suit is a type of camouflage material used to blend into various natural environments such as the desert, snow and other types of terrain. They are mostly worn by military personnel, police and hunters.
Fox News has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Migrant encounters have become more common as the crisis at the southern border continues.
On Monday, the CBP announced there were 199,976 migrant encounters in July, making the total so far this fiscal year to 1.946 million encounters. However, sources told Fox News that the encounters have not surpassed 2 million.
At the end of 2020, migrant encounters were around 72,000 per month. By March 2021, after President Biden took office, that figure jumped to around 173,000 each month.
The Biden administration has noted that the number of encounters is inflated by recidivism due to Title 42 expulsions, whereby migrants who are quickly expelled under the order often make multiple crossing attempts. The administration has sought to end the order, implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has so far been blocked by a court order. There were 162,792 unique encounters in July.
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https://www.foxnews.com/us/border-patrol-arrests-suspected-illegal-immigrants-wearing-ghillie-suits-blend-desert
