Illegal immigrants just released from detention through "catch and release" immigration policy stand at a bus station before being taken to the Catholic Charities relief center in McAllen, Texas, on April 11, 2018. (Reuters/Loren Elliott)

Over 3,000 Fraudulent Family Cases Identified by Border Patrol

Border Patrol has identified over 3,000 fraudulent family unit cases in the past six months, highlighting how U.S. immigration law deficiencies are being taken advantage of by cartels and smugglers.

“It’s very clear that the cartel and smugglers know the weaknesses in our laws. They know that family units and unaccompanied children will be released with no consequences for their illegal entries,” acting Department of Homeland Security chief, Kevin McAleenan, said at a press conference on April 17.

McAleenan, who took over as department head after Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation, was visiting the U.S.-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. He said illegal immigrants are going to great lengths to seek asylum in the United States, by engaging in what he called child recycling rings, reported Texas Public Radio.

“The same child is brought across the border with an adult multiple times to try and gain that release that family units are required under court order,” McAleenan said.

He reiterated that the immigration system is full and again urge Congress to make changes to immigration policies, reported KVEO.

McAleenan drew attention to the seriousness of the border crisis stating that a total of more than 4,800 illegal immigrants crossed the border on April 16, which he described as “a new record for the modern era.”

"It's very clear that the cartels and smugglers know the weaknesses in our laws. They know that family units and… Posted by KVEO on Thursday, April 18, 2019

“Almost 1,000 of them crossed in just three large groups. 375 people in the largest of those groups,” he said.

Earlier this month, CBP said agents encountered over 103,000 individuals on the southwestern border in the month of March. Of those were 92,000 border patrol apprehensions—which is an increase of 35 percent compared to February.

The agency also said that for the first half of the 2019 fiscal year, agents arrested over 385,000 individuals at the southwest border, which is more than double the apprehension during the same period last fiscal year.

Some Central American immigrants told KGBT that they were making the trek to the United States because they had seen advertisements in their local newspaper and television stations promoting better opportunities and free help from the United States if they enter illegally.

#BORDERNEWS Immigrants tell me they’re coming to the U.S. because they’re seeing advertisements on their local newspapers and TV stations, about better opportunities and free help from Americans if they enter illegally. My #Exclusive report straight from the border. #Immigration pic.twitter.com/mpRdg2hes7 — Sydney Hernandez (@SydneyKGBT) April 15, 2019

“The whole world knows, they put it in the news. They tell us everywhere if you come to the United States, they’ll help you,” said a Honduran woman, who was arrested at the border near the Rio Grande Valley, told KGBT.

A Guatemalan pastor, who was also arrested, said the same thing.

“Yes, we’ve been told that we read it on our newspapers. That’s why we’re here,” the pastor said.

New Tactics Used by Smugglers Discovered

Officials said in a statement on April 17 that the agency discovered a new tactic of counter-surveillance used by smugglers to help illegal aliens cross the El Paso sector.

One agent, who was monitoring the border at night, spotted a small airborne object—which appeared to be a drone—traveling northbound across the border. The object traveled about 100 yards into the United States before returning back to Mexico and repeated this pattern three times.

Close Encounter! El Paso Sector Border Patrol Encounters New Tactics as Smugglers Keep Sending in Families and Felons. Read more here: https://t.co/dmoLQbSG4L #USBP #CBP pic.twitter.com/5s3ACaeA81 — CBP West Texas (@CBPWestTexas) April 17, 2019

On the third time it returned to Mexico, a group of 10 illegal aliens was seen entering into the United States in the same area as the small device. The group of migrants was subsequently then taken into custody.

“This is the first known time in recent history that a drone has been utilized as a ‘look-out’ in order to aid in illegal entries in the El Paso Sector,” the statement said.