During an interview with CBS News that took place on March 21 and was released in its entirety on Monday, Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said he sees “no reason” for the number of apprehensions on the border to slow and so we’ll hit 2 million apprehensions this fiscal year and he expects a surge of people coming to the border in the next few months.
CBS News Immigration and Politics Reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez asked, “In each of the past two fiscal years, Border Patrol, your agency, has recorded over 2 million migrant apprehensions. Are you on track to do so again?”
Owens answered, “Yeah, so, we’re coming up on the end of the first half of the fiscal year, and we’re approaching 1 million apprehensions so far.”
Montoya-Galvez then cut in to ask, “So, yes?”
Owens responded, “If that trend follows, then yes.”
Montoya-Galvez followed up, “And do you expect it to follow that trend?”
Owens answered, “I see no reason for it to change what it’s doing.”
Later, [relevant exchange begins around 19:10], Montoya-Galvez asked, “Historically, during this time of the year, migration to the U.S. border increases. Are you expecting an influx in the spring, and are you ready to respond to it?”
Owens answered, “Based on the trends, we typically do expect that, as you — as we come into the summer months, the numbers will go up, so I see no reason to think that it wouldn’t. I’m always happy to be surprised and have that not be the case, but yes, because one of the things that we always prepare for, there’s an increase in the humanitarian need. They find themselves out in these extreme temperatures and these very inhospitable conditions that we talk about, and they get into trouble. And usually, … the first people and people that respond and pull them out of danger are Border Patrol agents.”
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