EXCLUSIVE: Criminal Alien Arrests at U.S. Border Exceeds 6K in 2021

As Border Patrol struggles with the surge of migrants this year, a law enforcement source informs Breitbart Texas that more 6,000 migrants with serious criminal records were apprehended since the new fiscal year beginning October 1, 2020. One thousand of those were apprehended in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas alone.

The term “criminal alien” is not used by the Border Patrol to refer to migrants with only immigration violations. It is reserved for those with criminal convictions for state and federal crimes like murder, rape, sexual assault, burglary, robbery, narcotics, and more.

The source reports that within this total, nearly 700 had convictions for assault and battery; 34 were convicted of homicide; nearly 500 for burglary-related offenses; and more than 300 convicted of sexual offenses.

Most of these individuals are returning to the United States illegally after deportations.

On May 10, Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector arrested an Ecuadoran national convicted for the rape of a minor in New York. A day later, agents in McAllen, Texas, arrested a Salvadoran national who readily admitted to serving seven years for murder and aggravated theft in his home country.

CBP further reports, during Fiscal Year 2020, San Diego agents arrested 25 sex offenders. This year, 25 were arrested in the sector during the first five months–putting them on pace to double the statistic. The San Diego Sector began tracking the annual apprehension of sex offenders in 2019.

Although only a small percentage of migrants illegally entering the country have criminal backgrounds, the source is concerned that many are eluding apprehension. As Border Patrol struggles to process and provide humanitarian care for the latest border surge, fewer agents are on normal duties.

The number of migrants avoiding apprehension by the Border Patrol exceeded 200,000 during the last seven months. The most noticeable increases began in January.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.