U.S. Border Patrol Del Rio Sector Apprehends Record Number Of Illegals Since July

Border patrol agent apprehends illegal aliens. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. Border Patrol Del Rio Sector has arrested a record number of illegal aliens so far this year, according to a report published on Tuesday.

Del Rio Sector is responsible for detecting and preventing the smuggling and unlawful entry of undocumented aliens into the U.S. along 210 miles of the Rio Grande River and Lake Amistad that forms the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

Since the beginning of the Fiscal Year 2020, which began Oct. 1, 2019, agents at the sector have apprehended migrants from more than 30 countries, other than Mexico, compared to 15 this time last year, according to the report.

All of the illegal aliens have been processed per U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidelines.

“The apprehension of migrants from countries such as Brazil, Haiti, China, and countries of Africa have increased significantly this fiscal year,” said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz.

“We continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat threats in an effort to protect our country and the community,” he added.

The report added that all illegal immigrants apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks which utilize multiple databases, including biometrics, to ensure those with a criminal history are positively identified regardless of their immigration status.

A previous report published on Nov.13 by Customs and Border Protection said that Del Rio Sector had arrested people from 59 different countries throughout the Fiscal Year 2019.

Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said: “Agents in Del Rio Sector continue to arrest individuals from countries across the world. This trend began last year and so far has been continuing into the new fiscal year.”

In 2018, CBP recorded, 404,142 apprehensions by U.S. Border Patrol agents along the border and 279,009 inadmissible cases by CBP officers at U.S. ports of entry, a 15 percent increase from the previous year.

Approximately 62 percent of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions were individuals from countries other than Mexico—predominantly individuals from Central America—up from 58 percent in 2017.

The U.S.–Mexico border has the highest number of both legal and illegal crossings of any land border in the world except for the Canada-U.S. border, according to Border Legislators.

Large numbers of people are seeking illegal entry. Accordingly, smuggling has become a billion-dollar business, and smugglers can earn between $1,500 to $15,000 per person.

Among those illegal immigrants attempting to cross the Mexican border are Chinese nationals, who cannot obtain a U.S. travel visa legally.

Earlier this year in April, The Epoch Times spent 24 hours with Border Patrol in a small area of southeast Texas and spoke to a Chinese man, Dong Jin Shun, who was apprehended by officials.

Shun said a friend in Beijing had put him in contact with a smuggler whom he had paid $15,000 to fly to Mexico and cross the border illegally, adding: “We all fly this way.” He said he planned to claim asylum from persecution.