A U.S. Border Patrol agent told Fox News Channel that eight out of ten illegal immigrants who are captured at the border are initially set free into the United States.
Border Patrol Agent Hector Garza, acting in his role as president of the National Border Patrol Council, Local 2455, appeared on Fox News Channel recently to discuss border security and the need for building a wall. “Eight out of ten people that are caught entering our country illegally are not deported and are allowed to stay in the United States,” Garza explained. “Unfortunately for Border Patrol agents, we are trying to do our jobs as best we can with the very limited resources that we have.”
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Garza expressed his frustration at the lack of resources made available to the agents charged with defending this nation’s borders.
“We do not have enough vehicles for our agents to patrol with, we do not get the manpower that we need.” He continued by discussing the lack of proper infrastructure to safely do their jobs – including communications equipment, tower cameras and weapons.
“Through executive orders and prosecutorial discretion … Most of the people that we apprehend end up getting released into the country,” he said while expressing his frustration. He explained that with the limited amount of manpower available, “It is very difficult to adequately patrol the border.”
“Keep in mind,” Garza continued, “if we don’t have enough agents out there, there are going to be people who are going to get away – and we don’t know who those people are. The only people that we know who they are are the ones we are actually catching.”
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has pledged to secure the border with Mexico by building a wall and increasing the numbers of Border Patrol agents assigned to protect the border. The members of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) endorsed Trump’s candidacy earlier this year, Breitbart Texas reported, because of his commitment to secure the border and to listen to the rank and file agents who work along the border every day.
The NBPC is the only tool Border Patrol agents have to let the public know the truth about the lack of proper border enforcement and the conditions under which the agents are forced to work.
(Disclosure: Breitbart Texas sponsored the Green Line podcast for the NBPC in an effort to provide a platform for agents to inform the public about the realities on the border and what Border Patrol agents face. Director Brandon Darby received an award from the Laredo chapter of the NBPC for his work in helping to defend and bring a voice to Border Patrol agents. Breitbart News assisted in covering funeral costs for a slain Border Patrol agent previously. Darby and Breitbart senior management have directly stated and shown that helping to bring a voice to the expressed needs and interests of Border Patrol agents is a top priority–personally, individually and together through Breitbart News.)
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.