Border Patrol agents grapple with sudden surge of Central American migrants

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anatta

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MCALLEN, Texas — Seconds after the radio crackled and the government SUVs sped into the darkness, Border Patrol agents sprinted through the brush and toward the border in an all-too-familiar pursuit of drug smugglers.

"They dropped their bundles of narcotics and went back into Mexico," said agent Marlene Castro, sounding disappointed after racing through a pitch-black clearing outside Rio Grande City. Still, on this recent night, agents would recover 66 pounds of marijuana with a street value of roughly $53,000.

But chasing drug smugglers wasn't the only thing keeping them busy.

During two days that NBC News spent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, it became clear that Castro and her colleagues were dealing with a sudden surge of families from Central America who are running toward those officials — not from them.

Many of the families are eager to be caught so they can apply for asylum or temporary protected status as they try to escape the violence back home.

Apprehensions on the Southwest border, along the Rio Grande, are rising. There were 46,195 in October — that was almost 20,000 more than the same month two years ago and the largest spike since the massive surge of unaccompanied minors during the summer of 2014.

Castro said the biggest difference this time around is that the Border Patrol is better equipped to deal with the influx. A new processing center has the capacity to hold 1,000 migrants at a time. In November, the federal government even sent 150 more border patrol agents to the McAllen area in the southern tip of Texas.

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Many of the families are eager to be caught so they can apply for asylum or temporary protected status as they try to escape the violence back home.

Apprehensions on the Southwest border, along the Rio Grande, are rising. There were 46,195 in October — that was almost 20,000 more than the same month two years ago and the largest spike since the massive surge of unaccompanied minors during the summer of 2014.

Castro said the biggest difference this time around is that the Border Patrol is better equipped to deal with the influx. A new processing center has the capacity to hold 1,000 migrants at a time. In November, the federal government even sent 150 more border patrol agents to the McAllen area in the southern tip of Texas.

"Some people sell everything they own to make the trip over here," Castro said. "They run the risk — the women, of getting raped; the men, of being robbed — and they still come over here."

And if the flow seems never-ending, so does the debate over how best to secure the border.

During the presidential campaign, Republican nominee Donald Trump promised to build a "big, beautiful" wall to stop the flow of immigrants crossing the border illegally.

He referred to some of the Mexicans coming into the country as "rapists" and in a testy exchange during one presidential debate, he called some of the migrants "bad hombres" who should not be here.

Since winning the election, Trump has said he would begin to tackle the issue bydeporting 2 million to 3 million undocumented immigrants with criminal records, although he has not offered specifics on how that would happen.

In Texas, spending over border security has become increasingly controversial. Extra troopers who assist the Border Patrol are reportedly costing taxpayers $800 million during the current two-year budget, and the Texas Department of Public Safety is asking for another $1.1 billion to expand the border security effort.

Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector Chief Manuel Padilla told NBC News that a brick-and-mortar wall is only part of the answer.

"I never look at one singular solution to a very complex problem," he said. The solution "includes aircraft, it includes technology, and in some places, the fence is absolutely necessary."

At the Sacred Heart Church, Sister Norma Pimentel and her volunteers are helping more than 300 migrants a day. Many of them wear ankle monitors as they await immigration court hearings.

She said a wall wouldn't address the root cause of the influx: violence and poverty in Central America.

"There's no justification to send back people that are hurting that more than likely will end up getting killed back home," Pimentel said.

Francisca Cecilia brought her 5-year-old son, Christopher, on a harrowing three-week journey from El Salvador after she said a street gang murdered her nephew.

Choking back tears, she described to NBC News in Spanish how she was hoping to stay in the United States despite having illegally crossed the border.
"We're all human," she said.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/04/us-b...udden-surge-of-central-american-migrants.html
 
^why we need a wall/fence/ alligator moats/....

It's too attractive to get here, despite all the dangers of coming. I'm sorry about the Honduras drug wars, the Guatemala poverty,
but we are not the dumping ground for the Americas
 
anatta said:
^why we need a wall/fence/ alligator moats/....

It's too attractive to get here, despite all the dangers of coming. I'm sorry about the Honduras drug wars, the Guatemala poverty,
but we are not the dumping ground for the Americas
Click to expand...

USA is the melting pot fool.
There has always been discrimination against the newest immigrants by the earlier immigrants. Fucking self righteous selfish piece of shit.
 
Rune said:
USA is the melting pot fool.
There has always been discrimination against the newest immigrants by the earlier immigrants. Fucking self righteous selfish piece of shit.
Click to expand...
LEGAL IMMIGRANTS deserve every right of safe passage and help. Not illegal "migrants"
 
anatta said:
Great Buddha. that is screwed up in every fashion.
It's time for the US to assert it's sovereignty(borders) -enough of illegal immigration. Enough of the corporate greed outsourcing too.
Click to expand...

Enough of your slimey self righteous ignorant bullshit
 
Rune said:
As they should be
Click to expand...
I keep waiting for somebody on here to say it......so I will :)
By giving "incentives" to Carrier to stay in the USA. We violated NAFTA. Blatantly broke the treaty.
Nobody has said shit. Us in South Texas damn well know it.
 
Rune said:
We don't have enough legal migrants to pick our feilds zipperhead
Click to expand...
that's a failure of immigration reform.
Once the border is secure, then we can do a real temporary guest worker program.
Which leads to visa overstays - but there are ways to mitigate that too..

Get things done...what a marvelous new concept for DC :rolleyes:
 
anatta said:
that's a failure of immigration reform.
Once the border is secure, then we can do a real temporary guest worker program.
Which leads to visa overstays - but there are ways to mitigate that too..

Get things done...what a marvelous new concept for DC :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

yeah right


you shits cant be trusted about anything
 
Rune said:
We don't have enough legal migrants to pick our feilds zipperhead
Click to expand...
We have tens of thousands (if not 100's) come from Central America and Mexico (we have quota's) and are here legally when employed in the Ag Industry. Look @ Ag Exemption Status. We don't need illegals. No reason for them. Cesar Chavez used to call the Cops/Feds whatever to bust non-union illegals working in the field.
They do not even pay taxes.....
Foreign Agricultural Workers on H-2A Visas

Exemption from Withholding of U.S. Federal Income Tax and U.S. FICA Taxes

Foreign agricultural workers temporarily admitted into the United States on H-2A visas are exempt from U.S. Social Security and Medicare taxes on compensation paid to them for services performed in connection with the H-2A visa. This is true whether they are resident aliens or nonresident aliens. In addition, compensation paid to H-2A agricultural workers for services performed in connection with the H-2A visa is not considered to be "wages" for purposes of federal income tax withholding, and thus is not subject to mandatory withholding of U.S. federal income tax unless Backup Withholding applies.
 
The Only Sarge said:
We have tens of thousands (if not 100's) come from Central America and Mexico (we have quota's) and are here legally when employed in the Ag Industry. Look @ Ag Exemption Status. We don't need illegals. No reason for them. Cesar Chavez used to call the Cops/Feds whatever to bust non-union illegals working in the field.
They do not even pay taxes.....
Foreign Agricultural Workers on H-2A Visas

Exemption from Withholding of U.S. Federal Income Tax and U.S. FICA Taxes

Foreign agricultural workers temporarily admitted into the United States on H-2A visas are exempt from U.S. Social Security and Medicare taxes on compensation paid to them for services performed in connection with the H-2A visa. This is true whether they are resident aliens or nonresident aliens. In addition, compensation paid to H-2A agricultural workers for services performed in connection with the H-2A visa is not considered to be "wages" for purposes of federal income tax withholding, and thus is not subject to mandatory withholding of U.S. federal income tax unless Backup Withholding applies.
Click to expand...

Tell me something I don't know.
 
shut the fuck up you evil fucking racists


the world hates you


we don't need your suggestions on how to be evil to others
 
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