Border Patrol agents 'infuriated' by migrant crisis, wives say: 'Completely demoralized'
The southern border has seen multiple records smashed for migrant encounters under Biden admin
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Border Patrol agents are feeling "infuriated and heartbroken" as record-breaking numbers of illegal immigrants continue to flood the southern border under the Biden administration.
The wives of two Border Patrol officials joined "Fox & Friends" Thursday to discuss how the migrant crisis is burdening their families.
Alison Anderson said her husband, a former Iraq combat veteran, loved his career until President Biden took office.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS
Immigrants wait to be processed at a U.S. Border Patrol transit center after they crossed the border from Mexico on December 20, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas. A late-year surge of migrants crossing the U.S.southern border has overwhelmed U.S. immigration officials. (John Moore)
"He fought for this country and he had brothers die fighting for this country," Anderson said Thursday.
"We have literally watched our border be handed over… he often talks about, why did our brothers die? Why did people die defending this country for this administration to sit there, lie about what they're doing and hand over our border and our national security?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cassy Garcia, wife of Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, added that agents are "frustrated" because "no matter how good they do, the migrant flow doesn't stop."
"The border security mission is being completely neglected because there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel," she said.
"And talking to my Border Patrol family, I don't like how our agents are being unfairly labeled because people with a political agenda are calling our loved ones horrible names or accusing them of not doing their job."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Garcia added that no one risks their lives more by helping migrants than Border Patrol agents.
"It's overwhelming, our agents have been completely demoralized under this administration," Anderson noted, saying many agents have left or taken early retirement.
"It's inexcusable, and it's a complete disregard of the responsibilities for this president."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Owens, a longtime Border Patrol veteran tapped by the Biden administration to lead the agency in June, told lawmakers that the major concern is the impact the humanitarian crisis has on the border security mission.
"And our true adversary, the smugglers, while we’re tied up with this humanitarian effort, what are they doing around the bend that we can’t be there to respond to?" he told the House Homeland Security Committee in May. "Is that where they’re crossing dangerous narcotics? Is that where they’re crossing convicted felons? That is what keeps us up at night."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Migrant encounters at the southern border have already surged past the 200,000 mark for December, with an average of well over 10,000 encounters a day, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources tell Fox News — with still more than a week to go until January.
The new surge comes during a year that has seen multiple records smashed for daily and monthly encounters as well as for the fiscal year — in FY23 overall there were over 2.4 million encounters.
Fox News' Adam Shaw, Griff Jenkins and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
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