EL PASO, TX—Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens told reporters Friday that the day prior, an illegal alien convicted for murder from El Salvador was captured near El Paso, TX at the border with Mexico in the tenth such arrest since the beginning of fiscal 2024 in October.
In a post to X, Owens wrote, "Yesterday, USBP agents in El Paso, TX arrested an undocumented subject from El Salvador who was previously convicted for murder. So far in FY24 (since Oct. 1st), USBP has arrested 10 subjects with homicide/murder convictions."
The same day, he posted an image of confiscating money in the sum of $32,786 in alleged proceeds from human trafficking seized near El Paso, TX in concert with Texas DPS Troopers.
According to Fox News, the latest arrest came as news broke that fiscal year 2023 saw 2.4 million encounters with illegal immigrants, and December 2023 in particular set records with more than 300,000 encounters recorded. Of the 2.4 million illegal aliens encountered in 2023, 35,000 were allegedly convicted criminals.
In 2024 to date, there have been 6,000 illegal aliens with prior convictions encountered.
Owens told Congress during hearings in 2023, "If a person is willing to put themselves into harm’s way crossing through very remote, very dangerous conditions to evade capture, you have to ask yourself why. What makes them willing to take that risk? That’s of concern to me."
He added, "What’s also of concern to me is I don’t know who that individual is. I don’t know where they came from. I don’t know what their intention is. I don’t know what they brought with them. That unknown represents a risk, a threat. It’s of great concern to anybody that wears this uniform."
As previously reported by Law Enforcement Today, Kinney County, TX Sherriff Brad Coe, a former Border Patrol agent himself, sharply criticized the Biden administration and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during an appearance on Fox News' 'America's Newsroom,' while praising the efforts of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
He told Fox News that he's received zero help from federal authorities despite the mounting risks to his deputies and the greater Kinney County community. "I've got six full-time deputies. Those guys were involved in over 260 high-speed pursuits," he told interviewers.
Although his deputies were able to capture about 90 percent of these suspects, the situation is a dangerous one, particularly for children whose schools sit along major thoroughfares.
Coe spoke highly of Chief Owens but lamented that his agents aren't allowed to enforce the law. He explained, "I've known Chief Owens for a while. He's got the knowledge. He's got the capability. They won't let him do his job. Border patrol has the authority to prosecute them for illegal entry, and could file expedited removals on these people that are coming across illegally. We did it before when I was with the Border Patrol and it worked."
In a post to X, Owens wrote, "Yesterday, USBP agents in El Paso, TX arrested an undocumented subject from El Salvador who was previously convicted for murder. So far in FY24 (since Oct. 1st), USBP has arrested 10 subjects with homicide/murder convictions."
The same day, he posted an image of confiscating money in the sum of $32,786 in alleged proceeds from human trafficking seized near El Paso, TX in concert with Texas DPS Troopers.
According to Fox News, the latest arrest came as news broke that fiscal year 2023 saw 2.4 million encounters with illegal immigrants, and December 2023 in particular set records with more than 300,000 encounters recorded. Of the 2.4 million illegal aliens encountered in 2023, 35,000 were allegedly convicted criminals.
In 2024 to date, there have been 6,000 illegal aliens with prior convictions encountered.
Owens told Congress during hearings in 2023, "If a person is willing to put themselves into harm’s way crossing through very remote, very dangerous conditions to evade capture, you have to ask yourself why. What makes them willing to take that risk? That’s of concern to me."
He added, "What’s also of concern to me is I don’t know who that individual is. I don’t know where they came from. I don’t know what their intention is. I don’t know what they brought with them. That unknown represents a risk, a threat. It’s of great concern to anybody that wears this uniform."
As previously reported by Law Enforcement Today, Kinney County, TX Sherriff Brad Coe, a former Border Patrol agent himself, sharply criticized the Biden administration and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during an appearance on Fox News' 'America's Newsroom,' while praising the efforts of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
He told Fox News that he's received zero help from federal authorities despite the mounting risks to his deputies and the greater Kinney County community. "I've got six full-time deputies. Those guys were involved in over 260 high-speed pursuits," he told interviewers.
Although his deputies were able to capture about 90 percent of these suspects, the situation is a dangerous one, particularly for children whose schools sit along major thoroughfares.
Coe spoke highly of Chief Owens but lamented that his agents aren't allowed to enforce the law. He explained, "I've known Chief Owens for a while. He's got the knowledge. He's got the capability. They won't let him do his job. Border patrol has the authority to prosecute them for illegal entry, and could file expedited removals on these people that are coming across illegally. We did it before when I was with the Border Patrol and it worked."
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