Border Patrol struggling to keep up with high number of migrants crossing border
Sanchez Canal attack is a result of BP agents being stretched too thin - News 11's Arlette Yousif reports
SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma sector border patrol apprehensions continue to climb. Agents say they’re working around the clock to keep up but are still struggling. The influx in border activity is stretching the agency thin, leaving some areas vulnerable, which can be opportunities for some migrants to attack.
Border Patrol is seeing an increase in migrant apprehensions of nearly 20% in just one week.
"A week ago, we were talking about our numbers being 520 a day. Now our numbers are 620 and higher. Today, I think our numbers were about 640. So with those higher numbers comes more people, more agents that we have to take and conduct processing activity," says Yuma Sector Border Patrol Supervisor Vincent Dulesky.
With so many areas along the border that are easier to get through it begs the question… why attack contract workers in a secure area?
"This area is still a heavily crossed area. We have the Sanchez Canal where people will actually, you know, jump in the water and cross. We also have a lot of gates in the area. So maybe they were looking for an opportunity to get them away from the gate so maybe they can make an entry," explains Dulesky.
We now know that three to four people from the south side of the border were throwing the rocks at the contractors, but that’s not all.
"The contractors could see that there was a group of approximately 15 others waiting on the other side. Once the contractors were able to get to a safer place, the rockers had stopped," says Dulesky.
Perhaps, all a diversion. The attackers and the 15 others waiting to cross eventually left the area. Contractors being attacked at the border wall is not a typical occurrence. Usually, border agents are targeted, and even then it’s rare. While agents are tied up with processing procedures, there are fewer vehicles canvasing along wall.
Dulesky says the agency is actively hiring more agents to keep up with migrant processing demands and to allow for more patrolling.
