Border Patrol Union Criticizes Feds for Broadcasting Plans for ‘Enforcement Operation’ in El Paso

Illegal immigrants wait to be processed by U.S. border agents at the U.S.-Mexico border on March 30, 2023. (Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been criticized by the Border Patrol union for publicly announcing that its agents and officers will be conducting a “targeted enforcement operation” in El Paso, Texas, amid the ongoing border crisis.

In a May 8 press release, CBP said the operation would begin the following day and would target immigrants who crossed the southern border illegally and were not processed for entry into the United States.

CBP agents, along with law enforcement partners from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, would be processing the immigrants for vetting and placement under either Title 42 expulsion or Title 8 removal proceedings—the latter takes longer than the former—as applicable, officials said.

Title 42, the Trump-era public health policy that allows Border Patrol agents to turn illegal immigrants back to Mexico immediately due to public health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to end on May 11.

CBP officials said that noncitizens who “pose a threat to national security or public safety will be transferred to ICE for detention.”

Venezuelan and Nicaraguan migrants are transferred by agents of the Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande river from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico to El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 27, 2022. (Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images)

They noted that enforcement actions will not take place in or near a location that would “restrain people’s access to essential services or engagement in essential activities to the fullest extent possible.”

“As we have said repeatedly, individuals who do not have a lawful basis to remain will be removed,” said Acting Commissioner Troy Miller in a statement. “Individuals should not listen to the lies of smugglers and instead use lawful pathways to protection.”

Backlash Over ‘PR Stunt’

The announcement was quickly condemned by the National Border Patrol Council, the union that represents about 18,000 Border Patrol agents and support personnel.

On Twitter, the union accused the agency of pulling a “PR stunt” while simultaneously tipping off migrants ahead of the operation.

“Nothing like publicly announcing that dangerous people will be arrested, while warning them ahead of time exactly where to run and hide to avoid arrest,” the union wrote on Twitter.

“This entire operation is a sad joke – another pandering PR stunt. Serious law enforcement leaders don’t behave this way,” the union added.

The announcement of the “enforcement operation” comes as hundreds of migrants have gathered at the southern border ahead of Title 42 expiring, according to Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin.

Drone footage circulating online shows a long line of illegal immigrants who recently crossed into Brownsville, Texas, Melugin said on May. 8.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Chief Paul Ruiz said in a May 8 Twitter post that 26,382 illegal immigrants were apprehended over the weekend, while another 7,399 others got away.

The surge in arrivals at the border has prompted concern among lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has warned that up to 700,000 migrants in Mexico are bracing to cross the border when Title 42 is lifted, and she criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis.

“Migrants are coming because Joe Biden opened our border to the entire world and the American people have to pay for it all and live with the national security implications and dangerous consequences,” she wrote.

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) told the Washington Examiner on May 8 that he supports Title 42 being extended.

“I am for the extension of Title 42, at least for a little while longer,” Gonzalez said. “And the reason is because I think that would give us an opportunity to build much more infrastructure to assure that it’s a smooth transition from Title 42 to ultimately Title 8.”

Migrants from Central and South America take part in a caravan attempting to reach the U.S.-Mexico border on April 23, 2023. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

‘There Wasn’t a Crisis Until Now’

Humanitarian workers in the Rio Grande region have also raised concerns over the policy coming to an end, calling the situation a growing “crisis.”

“There wasn’t a crisis until now,” Sister Norma Pimentel with Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley told NewsNation on May 8. “I think that Title 42 is causing a crisis because it’s sending the wrong message and letting people think that the border is open and everybody can come and because of that, we’re starting to see a crisis.”

Miller told Congress in April that about 10,000 migrants a day will likely cross the border when the policy is lifted.

Ahead of the restrictions coming to an end, President Joe Biden has deployed 1,500 extra U.S. troops to the border.

According to Pentagon press secretary Gen. Pat Ryder, the troops will “fill critical capability gaps, such as ground-based detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support until CBP can address these needs through contracted support,” but the troops will not directly participate in law enforcement activities.

Despite growing concerns over the upcoming removal of Title 42, Biden—who has been widely criticized for only visiting the southern border once during his time in office—has argued that recently announced opportunities for immigrants to enter and live and work in the United States legally will help deter illegal immigration.

In the announcement of the special enforcement operations, CBP officials said that the Office of Field Operations would temporarily reduce processing lanes and passenger operations at the Paso del Norte Bridge in Downtown El Paso, in “the interest of border security and to protect the traveling public, infrastructure, and CBP’s workforce.”

In announcing the temporary reduction, the agency also urged travelers to use other ports of entry.