Border Fence Down: Border Patrol Union Says Breach Brings Terrorist Concerns

Border Fence Down - AP James Clark
AP Photo/Nogales International, Jonathan Clark

The head of the National Border Patrol Council says a breach in the fence along a ten-mile area in remote areas of the Mexico-Arizona border should cause concern about terrorist threats.

An email from a Border Patrol agent reported that the stretch along the Arizona-Mexico border had the fence cut in order to allow access into the United States from Mexico.

Arizona Public Media reported that the president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) testified in a congressional hearing last week that cameras caught the images of two trucks crossing the area. Border patrol officials were not at the spot to catch them at the time of the illegal crossing.

Brandon Judd, the president of the 16,500 member national union said, “The scariest part is that we don’t know what was in those vehicles.”

The Arizona publication said he warned that illegal border crossings on the Mexico border from individuals from Pakistan is expected to increase more than three times in this year alone.

Judd added, “Those numbers should alarm everyone and we are seeing a similar trend from other key countries like Bangladesh, Albania and Brazil.”

One of the San Bernardino terrorist attackers, Tashfeen Malik allegedly told friends in Pakistan twice over Facebook that she had embraced radical Islam and jihad, as reported by Breitbart California. The attack in San Bernardino left fourteen people dead and 22 wounded. Malik was approved for a K-1 fiancée visa.

In August of 2014, then Texas Governor Rick Perry said a record number of illegal immigrants from Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, as reported by Breitbart News.

Breitbart Texas reported in late November 2015, that six men from Pakistan and Afghanistan illegally crossed the Arizona border into the United States.

The death toll for last Sunday’s Easter-Day massacre in central Pakistan has risen to 72 victims, mostly women and children, as reported by Breitbart News. At least 320 were injured. The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. In March of 2015, two Taliban suicide bombers detonated a bomb at the entrance to two Christian churches in Lahore, Pakistan. The attack caused seventeen deaths and wounded 80 more.

While he was testifying before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, the union president also confirmed the existence of the practice of what has become known as “catch and release.” Even if illegals are caught after they have crossed the border, the vast majority of illegals in the U.S. are off-limits to detention and deportation.

Breitbart Texas’ Brandon Darby reported in January of 2015 that leaked internal training documents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed that Border Patrol agents received guidelines that instructed them that even if illegals are caught crossing the border, the vast majority are off-limits to federal agents. A trusted federal agent in the CBP provided exclusive copies of the documents to Breitbart Texas and also agreed to an interview on the condition of anonymity. The “catch and release” directive of the Obama Administration violates the “Priority Enforcement Guidelines” (PEP) by refusing to process or deport anyone who entered the country illegally after December 31, 2013.

Judd testified under oath that Deputy Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas stated to him “Why would we NTA [Notice to Appear] those we have no intention of deporting?” Mayorkas also said, “We should not place someone in deportation proceedings, when the courts already have a three to six year back log.” Mayorkas is second in command at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Breitbart Texas has reported that in the past, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) could place a 48-hour hold on illegal immigrants when they were wanted on immigration related issues. The PEP program replaced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Secure Communities Plan. The policy was released by DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson in November of 2014. The executive order gives ICE ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) officers who are in control of the process, the authority to decide who is going to be removed. Texas law enforcement officers have been frustrated about their inability to protect citizens in the state. Jackson County Sheriff Aj (Andy) Louderback told Breitbart Texas, “Now they have all they need, they have plenty of reasons to not remove someone.”

During the congressional hearing Judd said that Americans are voting against “the establishment” during the presidential primaries because they have demanded border security for far too long but have been ignored.

According to the Union’s website, Judd said during his testimony that “President Obama is tone deaf to their calls. He and his cronies continue to mislead and misinform as they expand amnesty and weaken enforcement and security.”

Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as an associate judge and prosecutor in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2

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