Bangladeshi Nationals Continue to Cross Texas Border

Border Patrol agents in the Laredo Sector continue to see significant numbers of Bangladeshi nationals illegally crossing the border from Mexico into South Texas. Since the fiscal year began in October, Laredo Sector agents arrested 209 Bangladeshi nationals after they crossed the border.

Last week, agents arrested nine Bangladeshis who crossed the border illegally into South Laredo, Texas. The arrests occurred in two separate events on April 24 and 27, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Officials stated that the Laredo Sector continues to have the largest number of Bangladeshi apprehensions.

“When we talk about the different groups that are crossing into an area, what we’re trying to draw attention to is a more comprehensive look at our threat picture,” Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens told Breitbart Texas during a recent phone interview. “We need to stay away from just focusing on the family units and Unaccompanied Alien Children that are coming from Central America and Mexico. What the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol are dealing with on a daily basis is so much more complex than that.”

“You have to look not only at the numbers of folks coming across in our Area of Responsibility (AOR),” Owens explained, “but also, who they are and where they’re from because that very much affects how we meet the threat.”

Laredo Sector Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel Acosta told Breitbart Texas on Thursday that the Bangladeshi nationals do not pick their point of entry into the U.S.

“That is determined by the transnational criminal organization (TCO) that works with the smugglers from the country of origin, into South America, up through Central America, and into Mexico,” Acosta explained. “They are paying upward of $27,000 each to be smuggled into the U.S.”

Acosta said the Bangladeshis are not trying to be covert in crossing the border, nor are they trying to avoid detection and arrest. “They have been coached by the TCO on what to say and how to make a ‘credible fear’ claim,” he stated.

Rio Grande Valley Sector officials told Breitbart Texas they also arrested a large number of Bangladeshis who crossed into their sector. Since the beginning of this fiscal year, RGV Sector agents arrested at least 76.