Border Patrol Chief Says Smugglers Are ‘Absolutely’ Dictating Flow of Illegal Immigrants Across Border

Border Patrol’s Jason Owens says a criminal network of smugglers are aiding in most crossings.

Jason Owens, chief Border Patrol agent of the Border Patrol training facility in Artesia, N.M., on April 1, 2021. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens has revealed that a criminal network of people smugglers is “absolutely” dictating the flow of illegal immigrants into the country at the moment.

In a March 24 interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” he said the agency is on track to record more than 1 million illegal immigrant apprehensions since the start of 2024, with most crossings being aided by a criminal network of smugglers.