The Border Patrol’s Del Rio sector covers 240 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
There are days when not a single agent is actually guarding the line, said Jon Anfinsen, president of the National Border Patrol Council’s Del Rio chapter.
“We’ve had days with no agents patrolling whatsoever. Those that are out there are doing transportation duties, picking up groups that are turning themselves in, or doing processing,” Mr. Arfinsen told Republican members of Congress on Monday.
Near Yuma, Arizona, 90% of the Border Patrol’s manpower is sometimes dedicated to transportation, hospital watch and other caretaking duties for illegal immigrants, leaving few agents for actually manning the boundary there, said Brandon Judd, national president of the NBPC.
“That means the border is left completely open in large stretches,” Mr. Judd said.
He said agents recorded more than 200,000 apprehensions in March, marking a continuation of a record-long streak of months with massive border arrests.
That means record profits for the cartels that control the flow of people and drugs, and record levels of mayhem for American communities dealing with the drugs.
The agents were speaking with House Republicans just days after the Biden administration announced it would end the Title 42 pandemic border shutdown, triggering fears that things could get even worse.
Under Title 42, about half of illegal immigrants who reached the border were quickly expelled. The others are being caught and released into the U.S.
When Title 42 expires on May 23, almost all of those migrants will be caught and released, inviting still more to make the trip, agents told GOP lawmakers.