The US Border Patrol has acknowledged its responsibility for the choice to weld the flood gates in the border wall wide open, thereby providing thousands of illegal immigrants with a convenient opportunity to enter Arizona. After initially attributing blame to other federal agencies, the agency has now taken ownership of the decision.
The New York Post made the revelation, and now video has confirmed their reporting.
“USBP makes the final decision on opening gates based on operational conditions and forecasted weather,” the agency said in a statement to reporters.
Cartels are taking advantage of the situation, dropping off migrants in large numbers to effortlessly enter the US through open doors and willingly surrender to border agents. The New York Post witnessed this firsthand west of the remote town of Lukeville, Arizona, last weekend.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently unveiled their latest operational statistics, shedding light on the Tucson border sector’s newfound status as the nation’s busiest. In July alone, the Border Patrol encountered a staggering 42,561 individuals attempting to cross the border, whether through legal means or unauthorized entry. This surge in activity has been particularly notable in the region with the open floodgates.
A few weeks ago, Border Patrol agents, following orders from higher-ups, permanently secured 114 gates open to prevent closure. The agents had been repeatedly closing these gates in an effort to halt illegal border crossings.
AZ: It’s monsoon season and the flood gates are literally open along the southern border—There are more than 100 of them and many are welded open.
Border Patrol says DHS infrastructure crews opens the gates at the start of monsoon season each year and they stay open until it… pic.twitter.com/zS2ADrh1fK
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) August 23, 2023
Initially, when The Post contacted CBP, the parent agency of the Border Patrol, we were redirected to other federal agencies believed to have been involved in the decision to leave the border doors open. However, upon reaching out to these agencies, they denied any involvement in the matter.
“CBP operates and maintains the gates,” US International Boundary and Water Commission spokesman Frank Fisher said after his agency was initially earmarked as potentially being behind the blunder.
CBP later provided an explanation, stating that the storm gates are typically closed but are opened during Arizona’s ongoing monsoon season to safeguard the border wall from potential damage. What they didn’t admit was that the gates were welded open.
“High water flow combined with excessive sediment and debris buildup can stress or comprise the design integrity of the barrier,” the department said.
“Once the rain or flood event is over and the debris and sediment are removed, the gates can be closed and secured.”
“Those gates should never be open,” fumed Brandon Judd, the president of the national Border Patrol union. “In my opinion and in the Border Patrol agent’s opinion, those gates should never come open.”
Judd believes the agency higher-ups who made the decision should be “hammered” for not only allowing illegal immigrants in, but endangering agents’ lives.
According to Judd, the significant increase in people crossing the border is indicative of cartels exploiting the situation by facilitating their entry.
He said: “Because the cartels are constantly surveilling what we do, the moment something gets left open, it gets exploited.
“In this particular case, it exploded almost immediately, which shows you how adept the criminal cartels are at exploiting any weakness at any time that we show them. Those gates should never open up. What would be the reason for it? Why would you do it?”
