Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens blasted the Biden administration over immigration laws, saying the country needs tougher immigration policies.
“I think we need to look at asylum laws and make sure that only people with a legitimate claim can apply for asylum,” Owens said. CBS News.
“I think we need to be able to enforce existing immigration laws and hold people accountable every time they choose to break the law.”
He answered “yes” when asked if he was talking about federal immigration laws.
Border Patrol, a division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, needs more resources and tools to impose tougher “consequences” on those who enter the country illegally, Owens said.
“I’m talking about prison time. I’m talking about being kicked out of the country and I’m talking about being barred from coming back because you chose to come through the illegal route instead of the established legal routes that we have set for you,” he explained.
Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens blasted the Biden administration over immigration laws, saying the country needs tougher immigration policies.
The Border Patrol has seen record levels of border encounters over the past three years – more than two million per fiscal year. Hundreds of migrants broke through barbed wire fences in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday.
Texas state troopers move towards a fence after migrants broke through barbed wire to enter the United States on Thursday.
The Border Patrol has seen record levels of border encounters over the past three years – more than two million per fiscal year.
Hundreds of migrants broke through barbed wire fences in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday.
The migrants are already in the United States because they have already crossed the international border, located a few hundred yards south of the border wall. At least one migrant was arrested.
Owens also addressed the controversial Texas SB4 law, which would allow state law enforcement to intervene in immigration enforcement, which is currently the responsibility of federal agencies.
The chief said the law “will not stop us from doing our job” and that there is “no better partner for the Border Patrol than the Texas Department of Public Safety.”
He added: “We have worked hand in hand with this agency for as long as I have been here and I don’t see that ever stopping. They have always been very good at completing our mission.
“They support us when we are on the field, and we do it for them as well. So, whatever laws they apply, our mission remains constant. Their mission remains constant.
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court issued an order that again blocks Texas from passing SB4, hours after the Supreme Court allowed the tough new immigration law to take effect.
A migrant checks her bag after members of the Texas National Guard burned clothing used by migrants to break barbed wire and a fence to enter the United States and surrender.
The conservative majority’s order rejected an emergency request from the Biden administration, which says the law is a blatant violation of federal authority that would cause chaos in immigration law.
It’s also unclear where migrants ordered to leave might go if the law is ultimately allowed to pass. It calls for them to be sent to ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, even if they are not Mexican citizens.
But the Mexican government declared on Tuesday that it would “under no circumstances” accept the return to its territory of migrants from the state of Texas. Mexico is not required to agree to the expulsion of anyone except Mexican citizens.
The Department of Homeland Security said the federal government would also continue its legal challenge to the law, which would “further complicate” the work of its “already strained” workforce. The agency will not participate in any effort to enforce the law known as Senate Bill 4.
The law is seen by opponents as the most dramatic attempt by a state to control immigration since an Arizona law more than a decade ago, parts of which were struck down by the Supreme Court. Critics also said the Texas law could lead to civil rights violations and racial profiling.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the law “harmful and unconstitutional” and said it would burden law enforcement while creating confusion. She called on congressional Republicans to address the issue with a federal border security bill.
Texas, for its part, has argued that it has the right to act in the face of what officials have called an ongoing crisis at the southern border. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said in a statement that it was “prepared to handle any influx” of people detained in the state associated with state law.