Randy Clark

On Friday, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas returned an indictment related to a complex international drug trafficking investigation. The matter focuses on alleged activities surrounding the registration of numerous aircraft by an east Texas company, Aircraft Guaranty Corporation (AGC). The aircraft identified in the investigation were reportedly purchased and operated by foreign corporations or individuals. The Texas/Oklahoma based company was named in the indictment along with other co-conspirators.

The speedy re-opening of mothballed detention facilities and new construction projects along the border show the Biden administration knows exactly what is on the horizon. In a press conference on Monday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas clearly

Law enforcement sources report huge increases in the apprehension of unaccompanied children (UAC) along the Texas border with Mexico. Despite the opening of a new facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, Border Patrol facilities continue to experience overcrowding not seen since the 2019 migrant crisis.

Senior-level U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources report the Title 42 Centers for Disease Control emergency order will be vacated in as soon as one week, but a 7-day extension is under consideration.

United Nations agencies have begun efforts to return asylum seekers currently residing in Mexico under the Trump Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) back to U.S. soil. An estimated 25,000 asylum seekers are eligible for transfer under President Joe Biden’s cancellation of the MPP. The UN received 12,000 applications over a three-day period beginning February 19.

U.S. Border Patrol issued instructions to begin the immediate release of migrants to avoid overcrowding in temporary holding facilities as ICE struggles to cope with increasing apprehension rates along the southwestern border.

Lacking federal guidance, local border communities are bearing the brunt of accommodating hundreds of newly released asylum seekers despite the potential public health impacts of COVID-19. In one South Texas community, migrants are not being ordered into quarantine by local officials. Despite efforts by humanitarian organizations to provide shelter in hotels for those migrants who test positive, others are breaking quarantine protocols and leaving the border area to points further inland in Texas.

Last week, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 was submitted to Congress as the first major immigration-related legislation of the Biden Administration. It consists of more than 350 pages of amendments to existing federal laws.

Federal law enforcement sources report that Border Patrol agents will now rely on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to conduct migrant releases when detention space is not available in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. Migrant releases coordinated specifically by Border Patrol directly into border communities will be a last-resort option. Border Patrol officials are instructed to conduct the local releases only when ICE cannot cope with the level of arrests made by the Border Patrol.

Law Enforcement sources report the release of more than 200 mostly Central American family units into a West Texas border community. The Biden administration’s cancellation of swift removal policies for Central American migrants forced Border Patrol officials to begin the releases of certain migrants immediately.

The just-completed impeachment trial of former President Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Senate provided cover for the administration to move forward with plans to implement President Joe Biden’s open border policies.

Law enforcement sources are reporting the suspension of scheduled ICE removal flights to Haiti. The move will force Border Patrol agents to reprocess more than 100 Haitian migrants, allowing them to claim asylum and qualify for immediate release in the meantime.

Late Monday evening, a frantic caller informed San Antonio 911 operators that he and other illegal migrants were trapped in a tanker truck somewhere near the city. In a few short sentences, he tried to describe the conditions faced by approximately 80 migrants. A recording of the call clearly reveals people in the background gasping for air.

There is a common saying, “when America sneezes, the world catches a cold.” I also believe when the border region sneezes, America feels it. Whether you are building a border wall or plan to discontinue the work, the impacts are felt far from the construction site.

The City of Brownsville, Texas, is administering voluntary COVID-19 tests to migrants recently released from Border Patrol custody. Although the first round was limited to pre-existing supply, the City later received an additional 10,000 test units from the State. Each costs approximately $100. The City of McAllen also received a shipment of 10,000 units for similar needs.

A large group of migrants, most likely seeking asylum in the United States, were spotted heading north via a rail route known as La Bestia. The train departed Tierra Blanca, Guanajuato, and will likely arrive at the U.S.-Mexico Border within days, according to Breitbart Texas sources.

Over the last few weeks, the new Biden Administration has made clear that “Build Back Better” in terms of border security will entail more dismantling than building. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden revoked procedures designed to swiftly adjudicate asylum applications and end “catch-and-release.”

Sources report that another wave of at least 100 migrants, many suspected of being Haitian nationals, made entry near Del Rio, Texas early Monday.

Border Patrol agents in the Del Rio Sector apprehended a large group of suspected Haitian migrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico into Texas.

When we think of illegal immigration and its impact on America, opinions are sharply divided. The images invoked are “kids in cages,” large caravans, border rescues, and wild border chases between law enforcement and illegal immigrant smugglers.

Was the United States Border Patrol and its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection, prepared for operating under pandemic conditions? Did we have a plan?

The anticipation of a more friendly administration and the early signs of loosening the application of immigration laws is beginning to appear as thousands of migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are merging to form caravans headed to the United States.