A smuggler using a school bus to transport migrants, 14,000 arrests in seven days, and a migrant falling from the border wall.
This has all happened in the Tucson border sector just over the last few weeks.
Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin says his agents are facing new and greater challenges every day.
Sometimes were doing things we werent trained for, but thats the nature of what were facing,” Modlin said.
What theyre facing is managing the hundreds of thousands of migrants who turn themselves in to seek asylum, while still trying to secure the border, and going after the people evading arrest.
I dont think theres a single sector chief that would tell you they have the manpower they need,” Modlin said.
Chief Modlin and his agents are now processing over 2,000 people a day.
We do biographical checks, we look at their fingerprints, at their face, determine if theres a criminal history, an immigration history, they are run through the terrorist databases,” Modlin said.
But with so many migrants to check, some slip through the cracks.
Last month, an African migrant was apprehended, checked, and released in the Tucson sector.
Then, homeland security discovered the migrant was wanted in Senegal for “terroristic activities”.
The migrant was arrested again in New York two weeks after illegally crossing the border.
Not every country shares information with us. A lot of people who cross dont have identifying documents with them,” Modlin said. “We do the best we can to make sure no one that is a threat to public safety or national security is allowed into the United States.
Border Patrol coordinates with border counties to make migrant releases as smooth as possible.
Getting them to shelters in Tucson is part of the processbut with numbers rising again, the county says their current federal funding will only last through March.
Were burning through money twice as much, because were getting twice as many people,” Mark Evans, Pima County’s Public Communications Manager said.
Chief Modlin adds without the support network, the local situation would be much worse.
What we have seen is an incredible response from the local NGOs, whether its county buses going to pick people up, or whether its NGOs picking them up and moving them to their final destination,” Modlin said.
But Chief Modlin also says there is assistance needed from the federal government, noting recently Border Patrol has been hiring “processing coordinators” to help with the large groups coming across the border.
“We look at things like the ‘Make Safe Act’ where a lot of the gaps where the border wall system was stop, that’s being remediated,” Modlin said. “That’s fantastic for us.”
He lastly adds he sees light at the end of the tunnel.
Believing his sector and his agents are ready to continue facing the challenges.
Like all things, this will go. Ive been doing this for close to 30 years, and Ive seen this before,” Modlin said. “The Border Patrol always steps up and we will get through it.
Full interview with Tucson Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin:
Full interview with Tucson Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin