The floodgates to the United States are still open, letting in a steady stream of migrants, but not letting out much rainwater.
Three days after The Post revealed that 114 gates in the Arizona border wall had been welded wide open, allowing thousands of people to enter the United States illegally, nothing has changed.
New images taken Thursday show brazen human smugglers in a dark-colored van and a white van stopping and brazenly dropping off migrants on the Mexican side of the border.
They are then escorted through the open gates near Lukeville, Arizona, entering the country illegally.
“I saw your story about the open floodgates; that is exactly what is happening,” a US Border Patrol agent told the Post anonymously, referring to our exclusive report.
Border Patrol has admitted that it was responsible for making the decision to open the gates, to alleviate flooding that can damage the already porous structure of the wall, during the monsoon season, which can arrive anytime between mid- June and September. in southern Arizona.
A smuggler in a dark-colored pickup truck builds the United States border wall to drop off illegal immigrants.Daniel William McKnight
Each border gate is approximately 12 feet tall and has multiple gates. James Breeden/Shutterstock for NY Post
Sources told The Post that the gates have been open since June, despite the agency being told by the National Weather Service that the rainy season would begin later this year.
“We provide briefings for the Border Patrol,” said Gigi Giralte, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “We were able to determine that we were going to have a later start to the monsoon season.”
It didn’t rain until mid-July, Giralte said, meaning the gates were open for at least 30 days, when anyone could come through.
This year’s monsoon season has also been milder than normal, with just 1.6 inches of rain falling in the area since July 15. The average is usually taller, at least 1.8 inches at this time.
Hurricane Hilary, which hit California earlier in the week, dropped up to 10 inches of rain in one day, triggering flash flooding.
Agents tried to close the gates to stop illegal border crossings, but agency supervisors ordered the gates to be welded to prevent the bases from closing them.
US Border Patrol agents are understaffed on this part of the border, and dozens of migrants are often watched alone by one agent.Daniel William McKnight
In this isolated part of the border, two and a half hours from Tucson, and in the middle of nowhere, migrants outnumber the agents who detain people from countries around the world once they walk through the gates.
“Seven or eight months ago, we started getting these large groups (of immigrants) from everywhere, and it hasn’t stopped since then,” a Border Patrol source told The Post. “Then they opened these doors and the situation got worse.”
On average, 1,400 immigrants a day cross into Arizona illegally, US government statistics show.
Last month, 42,561 immigrants were found in the Tuscon sector, which includes Lukeville, making the region the nation’s leading point of illegal entry and the nation’s busiest border crossing.
Immigrants coming through the open doors are not trying to hide from Border Patrol. Instead, they search for agents so they can turn themselves in and try to claim asylum.Daniel William McKnight
Almost all of the immigration agents in this remote part of the Grand Canyon State are immigrants who walk through the openings in the wall, find an agent and turn themselves in in the hope that they will be granted asylum.
Those who pass an interview to begin the asylum process will be released into the US with a court date.
Almost all immigrants end up traveling to other parts of the United States. On Tuesday, The Post witnessed how migrants had crossed the border just days before with plane tickets to Boston and Ohio at Tucson International Airport.
Addressing the reason for the gates opening, Customs and Border Protection said: “High water flow combined with excessive accumulation of sediment and debris can stress or affect the integrity of the barrier design.
“Once the rain or flooding ends and debris and sediment are removed, the gates can be closed and secured.”
Two vehicles driven by cartel smugglers drive away from the open border wall after dropping off migrants.Daniel William McKnight
About 1,300 migrants enter the country through the Tucson sector every day, according to Border Patrol. James Breeden/Shutterstock for NY Post
The union representing the officers has asked the department to close the doors.
“In my opinion and in the opinion of the Border Patrol agent, those doors should never be opened,” said National Border Patrol Council Chairman Brandon Judd.
Neither Border Patrol nor its parent agency, US Customs and Border Protection, responded to the Post’s request about when the gates might close.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn