Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks on Cartel Threats and Border Security

Persistent Cartel Threats

• ⚠️ Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks highlights the ongoing threat posed by drug cartels, even as illegal border crossings have significantly decreased.
• 💣 A disturbing trend includes cartels planting explosives near the border, tragically resulting in an American life lost near Brownsville.

Confronting Cartel Violence

• ⚔️ Chief Banks issued a stark warning: Border Patrol is prepared to fight cartel members if they come face-to-face and will not hold back.
• 🚨 Agents have been alerted to cartels having permission to fire at law enforcement in the U.S.
• ✈️ There have been hundreds of drone incursions from the south, with violent groups using bomb-wielding drones against rivals.

Technology and Resources

• 📡 Border Patrol is deploying technology to counter drones and is prepared to fight the enemy on any ground.
• 💰 The agency is actively impacting the cartel's ability to generate billions of dollars.
• 🛡️ Chief Banks emphasizes that Border Patrol is a highly trained and professional law enforcement agency ready to defend the border.

Recent Arrests and Encounters

• 🤝 In Arizona, a Cali cartel member was arrested and admitted to guiding illegal immigrants across the border, now facing felony human smuggling charges.
• 📈 The agency is averaging around 250 encounters each day at the southern border.
• 💨 While encounters have plummeted over 95% since the current administration, there are still an average of 100 "gotaways" (people evading law enforcement) per day, a significant decrease from the peak of over 3700 in April 2023.