Smuggling cartels are making at least $500 million a year bringing migrants into the U.S., Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told Congress on Tuesday, outlining the scope of the problem for lawmakers as illegal border crossings continue to surge.
The $500 million figure paid by illegal immigrants to smuggling cartels appeared to be the first time a federal official has put a dollar amount on that particular activity.
The money is split among the "Coyotes," or guides, who shepherd the migrants through Central America and Mexico to the border; the stash house operators and smugglers who transport them to their final destinations in the U.S.; and the major cartels that oversee all sides of the operation.
Ms. Nielsen has announced a zero-tolerance policy at the border, saying every person attempting to illegally enter the U.S. or to make a bogus asylum claim will be referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.
His fellow Democrats peppered Ms. Nielsen with questions about how families are being treated, whether Border Patrol agents are trained to minimize child trauma from the separation and the conditions those in custody are subjected to.
In court filings this week, the Border Patrol said it targeted caravan migrants who jumped the border for prosecution, hoping to send a signal to the other caravan members to attempt to enter through an official port of entry.
To the contrary, Border Patrol sought prosecution of caravan participants with the objective of deterring other caravan participants from illegally entering the United States, while also taking into consideration humanitarian concerns," Ryan Yamasaki, assistant chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol in San Diego, said in a declaration to the court.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/15/kirstjen-nielsen-cartels-make-500-million-year-smu/
The $500 million figure paid by illegal immigrants to smuggling cartels appeared to be the first time a federal official has put a dollar amount on that particular activity.
The money is split among the "Coyotes," or guides, who shepherd the migrants through Central America and Mexico to the border; the stash house operators and smugglers who transport them to their final destinations in the U.S.; and the major cartels that oversee all sides of the operation.
Ms. Nielsen has announced a zero-tolerance policy at the border, saying every person attempting to illegally enter the U.S. or to make a bogus asylum claim will be referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.
His fellow Democrats peppered Ms. Nielsen with questions about how families are being treated, whether Border Patrol agents are trained to minimize child trauma from the separation and the conditions those in custody are subjected to.
In court filings this week, the Border Patrol said it targeted caravan migrants who jumped the border for prosecution, hoping to send a signal to the other caravan members to attempt to enter through an official port of entry.
To the contrary, Border Patrol sought prosecution of caravan participants with the objective of deterring other caravan participants from illegally entering the United States, while also taking into consideration humanitarian concerns," Ryan Yamasaki, assistant chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol in San Diego, said in a declaration to the court.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/15/kirstjen-nielsen-cartels-make-500-million-year-smu/
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