Illegal migrants in custody reaches new high: ‘We must sleep at night knowing we are the reason this nation is in trouble’

An exclusive report by the Daily Caller News Foundation reveals the number of illegal migrants in the custody of Border Patrol nationwide has surpassed 22,000 as of Tuesday evening. The Daily Caller exclusively obtained internal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data providing the information.

The report also shows how extremely fast the numbers are rising. As of the evening of August 10 Border Control had nearly 17,000 illegal migrants in custody, up from 7,696 two months prior on June 8. Just this week there were 8,923 migrant encounters by CBP on Monday and 7,730 illegal migrants released into the country, according to the new data.

Democratic El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said Saturday that the city is at its “breaking point,” while Democratic Eagle Pass Mayor declared a state of emergency in recent days. Agents have also become increasingly vocal about what they are enduring. One agent stationed along the northern border said “Our duties now revolve around virtual processing and the facilitation of the inflow of illegal migration into the United States. The scenario unfolds with agents stationed at their respective posts, immersed in virtual paperwork, striving to cope with the overwhelming surge of illegal migrants, far outpacing our capacity to process them efficiently. This has rendered our border exposed and vulnerable.”

“In my extensive 13-year tenure, I find myself grappling with a reality I never envisaged. Our current circumstances defy logic; established policies, our solemn oaths, and the very essence of our professional calling have been eroded. Instead, we find ourselves relegated to mere affirmations from higher authorities, commending our efforts. The days of border patrol, the pursuit of illicit substances—what we colloquially term ‘dope’—have yielded to a role resembling that of caretakers,” the agent added.

“We are upset because what they are making us do is break our oath we pledged. They have taken our job and made it a joke. We have endangered the country in so many ways. We must sleep at night knowing we are the reason this nation is in trouble,” another agent said.