"The demographic shift towards more vulnerable populations, combined with overwhelming numbers, has caused 40 to 60 percent of Border Patrol agents to be pulled away from our border security mission to provide humanitarian support—that’s 40 to 60 percent of our frontline workforce that is not available to stop drugs, gang members, and dangerous criminals from entering our country."
This was oral testimony from Border Patrol Chief Carla L. Provost last week to the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security shining a light on just how dire the humanitarian crisis at the Southwest U.S. border has become, eclipsing border security in favor of caring for the overwhelming number of migrants being funneled through border facilities.
Now, Judicial Watch is giving even more worrying numbers.
With over half a million illegals having already apprehended by border agents this year alone, Provost said that another 100,000 or so migrants have gotten into the interior of the nation undeterred. That puts the number of illegal aliens who've been allowed into the U.S. in just the first six months of this year at around 600,000, roughly the entire population of Portland, Oregon.
Provost praised President Trump for sending the military to assist at the border, saying more are needed to address the crisis. Military assistance, Provost added, is crucial for aerial reconnaissance that's helped Border Patrol intercept thousands of pounds of drugs and thousands of illegal aliens who would have otherwise made their way into the U.S.
Provost told Congress that the military would need to continue providing support until immigration laws are changed, telling Congress in her testimony that "border security is national security — there is no difference — and the crisis on our Southwest border puts our national security at risk.”