Nearly 2,000 illegal immigrants were arrested by the Border Patrol in three days at a crossing south of Mission in the Rio Grande Valley, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The immigrants were found in several different operations, but Manuel Padilla, the Rio Grande Valley Station Patrol Chief, says the vast majority of them went up to Border Patrol agents and surrendered, demanding asylum in the U.S.
The vast majority of the immigrants were from Central America, but some were from Mexico, and African and Asian countries.
One border official says a request for asylum, and a 'credible fear' of persecution bach home, is seen as a 'get into the U.S. free card.' and the cartels, which control movement on the south side of the Rio Grande, are now advising all immigrants, who have paid $3,000 to $7,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. from Central America, and up to $25,00 to get to the U.S. from Africa or Asia, are now urging them to make a asylum demand, rather than flee from Border Patrol officers.
“The continued flow of migrants turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents is creating an unsustainable situation,” Padilla said.
He suspects that the Mexican cartels are attempting to flood Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector with illegal immigrants, so they will be too distracted to stop drug shipments across the border.
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