Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz has revealed a concerning statistic — there has been a 1000% increase from the fiscal year 2022 to 2023 of illegal aliens crossing the southern border from countries very far away from the United States, including China and Afghanistan.
According to Ortiz, there are similar increases coming from countries like Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Paraguay, Mauritania, Djibouti, and the Dominican Republic.
The Border Patrol chief detailed the shocking statistic in a post on Twitter.
“We have seen an increase of over 1000% from some countries,” he wrote. “While we work diligently to repatriate migrants from these countries, we still have challenges with countries’ governments to get working programs in place to repatriate all those we apprehend.”
We have seen an increase of over 1000% from some countries. While we work diligently to repatriate migrants from these countries, we still have challenges with countries' governments to get working programs in place to repatriate all those we apprehend. pic.twitter.com/w9aVwdqkZb
— Chief Raul Ortiz (@USBPChief) June 9, 2023
In fiscal year 2021, Border Patrol only recorded 342 encounters with illegal aliens from China. However, the number has skyrocketed in the following years — with the agency reporting 1,987 encounters of Chinese illegal aliens in fiscal year 2022 and 9,753 just in the first seven months of fiscal year 2023.
The border crisis has gotten much worse under the Biden administration. According to the Daily Wire, “An estimated 1.5 million illegal migrant gotaways have been recorded since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. Meanwhile, 415,000 total gotaways were reported for 2018, 2019, and 2020 under the Trump administration.”
Under Biden’s open border policies, there has also been an increase in the number of individuals from the terror watchlist captured at the southern border — and likely even more who slipped in undetected. Just in February, Border Patrol apprehended 16 illegal aliens who were on the terror watchlist.
As of May of this year, at least 80 illegal aliens on the FBI’s terror watchlist for fiscal year 2023. This is a staggering increase from previous years. According to the Daily Wire, “In the fiscal year 2022, authorities apprehended 380 such individuals. Between 2017 and 2020, the news outlet reported that authorities apprehended eight terror watch-list members between ports of entry. In 2021, agents encountered 15 individuals named on the FBI’s list.”
I have reached out to CBP for comment, they tell me they will get back to me.
CA Congressman @DarrellIssa represents the area, and tells me his office has confirmed the arrest with their CBP contact. He released the following statement in response. pic.twitter.com/Gs5TIdfFk6— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 14, 2023
Ortiz, who has announced his retirement effective June 30, previously contradicted claims under oath from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that the border was secure — telling lawmakers that the Biden administration does not have operational control of the southern border.
Alejandro Mayorkas: “It is my testimony that the border is secure.”
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz: “No,” we do not have operational control of the border. pic.twitter.com/rx0PxhUNWc
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 19, 2023
