3:58
Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Chris Clem spoke to KAWC in his first local media interview since he took office on Dec. 20.
Chief Clem said at this time last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning, the Yuma Sector was at just more than 7,000 migrant apprehensions. This year to date, it s more than 9,500 apprehensions. In October, the Yuma Sector averaged 25 apprehensions per day. The number of apprehensions has gone up each day since and so far in March, Clem said the Yuma Sector is averaging about 400 apprehensions per day. We went from something reasonable to, all of a sudden, a big spike, Clem said.
Border Patrol Drones Spot Migrants Crossing Border into Texas
25 Feb 2021
Border Patrol agents in South Texas increasingly utilize small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) to detect migrants crossing the border in remote areas. The sUAS pilots direct ground-based agents to the scene of the illegal border crossing and allow agents to be more efficient in covering these areas that are not secured by physical barriers.
In the Laredo Sector, Chief Patrol Agent Matthew Hudak tweeted photos showing agents tracking a group of migrants with an sUAS. The pilots observed 70 migrants illegally crossing the border where no physical barrier exists onto an expansive ranch in South Texas. Horseback-mounted agents tracked down the migrants and took them into custody.