Families crossing the 蜜柚直播-Mexico border and asking for asylum are 鈥渙verwhelming鈥 the immigration system, the new chief of the Border Patrol鈥檚 蜜柚直播 Sector said.
Roy Villareal now oversees 3,900 agents and support workers in the 蜜柚直播 Sector, which covers about 260 miles of the international border and is one of the busiest in the country. He sat down with reporters Thursday afternoon to introduce himself and field a few questions.
The Border Patrol regularly issues news releases about families traveling together in groups of 50 or more people and crossing the border in remote areas of Southern 蜜柚直播. They often turn themselves over to agents soon after crossing the border near Lukeville and ask for asylum.
From October to February, agents in the 蜜柚直播 Sector apprehended nearly 5,000 people traveling in families, up from about 1,500 during the same period last fiscal year, according to Border Patrol data.
People are also reading…
鈥淥ur facilities weren鈥檛 designed to house families, we weren鈥檛 prepared for the influx of people that need medical care,鈥 Villareal said.
鈥淥n a daily basis, I鈥檓 sending anywhere from 30 to 50 agents with the migrants for medical care,鈥 which detracts from his ability to put agents on the border, he said.
Smugglers are taking large groups to the border south of Ajo, which will create risks for children in hot summer weather, he said. It also forces him to shift agents to pick them up, rather than patrol the border.
Illegal migration creates 鈥渃lutter, chaos, and noise鈥 that distracts from efforts to stop drug smuggling and the 鈥渢errorist threat,鈥 as well as fraud, car theft and other crimes.
Villareal replaces Rodolfo Karisch, who became the chief patrol agent in August 2017. Karisch was reassigned to Texas, one of at least three Border Patrol chiefs of the 蜜柚直播 Sector who were reassigned to Texas in recent years.
U.S. Border Patrol 蜜柚直播 Sector Chief Roy Villareal at CBP headquarters in 蜜柚直播 on March 21, 2019.
Villareal said he started his career in 蜜柚直播 in 1988, at age 18. Before being named head of the 蜜柚直播 Sector, Villareal was the deputy chief patrol agent of the San Diego and El Centro sectors. He also was the assistant chief patrol agent and acting deputy chief patrol agent for the Yuma Sector.
As opposed to areas in California and Yuma, access to the border for agents in the 蜜柚直播 Sector is 鈥渧ery difficult,鈥 he said, noting the various state and federal jurisdictions and the Tohono O鈥檕dham Nation.
鈥淚f we can鈥檛 get to the border, we can鈥檛 stop that threat,鈥 he said.
The Trump administration鈥檚 plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border is a constant source of controversy in the national conversation about border security. The 372 miles of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 border with Mexico, including the Yuma sector, has about 120 miles of pedestrian fencing and 180 miles of vehicle barriers.
鈥淭he ongoing debate right now has been so polarized that we鈥檙e failing to recognize that what the border security experts are asking for is a border enforcement system. Not solely border fencing or border wall,鈥 Villareal said.
鈥淲e have a proven equation that works,鈥 he said.
He advocates for a combination of fencing, roads, cameras, ground sensors and personnel. He plans to learn where in 蜜柚直播 more fencing is most needed and where technology would be more effective, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to say 鈥業鈥檇 like 261 miles of fencing,鈥欌 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not realistic. It鈥檚 not what we need.鈥
Contact reporter Curt Prendergast at 573-4224 or cprendergast@tucson.com or on Twitter @Curt蜜柚直播Star
Curt Prendergast
Editor
