The floodgates to the US are still open and allowing the flow of migrants in – but not letting much rainwater out.
Three days after The Post revealed 114 gates in Arizona’s border wall had been welded wide open, allowing thousands to enter the US illegally, nothing has changed.
New images taken Thursday show brazen human smugglers in dark-colored vans and a white SUV pulling up and brazenly dropping off migrants at the Mexican border.
They then escorted them through an open gate near Lukeville, Arizona, entering the country illegally.
“I saw your story about the floodgates being open; that’s what actually happened,” a US Border Patrol agent anonymously told The Post, referring to our exclusive report.
The Border Patrol acknowledged it was responsible for the decision to open the floodgates, to ease floodwaters that could damage the wall’s structure — already a porous structure — during the monsoon season, which can hit anytime between mid-June and September in Southern Arizona.
A smuggler in a dark van pulls over the US border wall to bring illegal immigrants down.Daniel William McKnight
Each border gate is about 12 feet high and has several doors. James Breeden/Shutterstock for the NY Post
Sources told The Post how the gates have been open since June, even though the National Weather Service told the agency the rainy season would begin later this year.
“We prepared a briefing for the Border Patrol,” said Gigi Giralte, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “We can determine that we will start the monsoon later.”
No rain until mid-July, Giralte said, meaning the gates are open for at least 30 days when anyone can pass through.
This year’s monsoon has also been milder than usual with only 1.6 inches of rain falling in the area since July 15. The average is usually higher, with at least 1.8 inches now.
Hurricane Hilary – which hit California earlier in the week – dropped up to 10 inches of rain in one day, which caused flash flooding.
Agents tried to close the gate to stop illegal border crossings, but agency supervisors instead ordered the gate to be welded open to prevent the line and file from closing the gate.
US Border Patrol agents are drastically understaffed on this side of the border, with one agent often single-handedly overseeing dozens of migrants.Daniel William McKnight
On this remote part of the border, 2.5 hours from Tucson, and in the middle of nowhere, immigrants are outnumbered by agents who detain people from countries around the world as soon as they pass through the gates.
“Seven or eight months ago, we started getting these large groups (of migrants) from all over the world, and it hasn’t stopped since,” a Border Patrol source told The Post. “Then they opened this gate and it got worse.”
An average of 1,400 immigrants a day cross into Arizona illegally, US government statistics show.
Last month 42,561 immigrants were found in the Tuscon sector, including Lukeville, making the region the most popular spot nationwide for illegal entry and the nation’s busiest border crossing.
Immigrants who enter through open doors are not trying to hide from the Border Patrol. Instead, they look for agents so they can turn themselves in and try to claim asylum.Daniel William McKnight
Almost all of the immigration agents found in this remote area of the Grand Canyon State are immigrants who walk through cracks in walls, find agents and turn themselves in with the hope of being granted asylum.
Those who pass the interview to begin the asylum process will then be released to the US with a court date.
Almost all immigrants end up traveling to other parts of the US. On Tuesday, The Post saw immigrants who had crossed the border just days earlier with plane tickets to Boston and Ohio at Tucson International Airport.
Responding to the reason for opening the floodgate, Customs and Border Protection said: “High water flows combined with excessive sediment and debris accumulation can stress or compromise the integrity of the barrier’s design.
“Once the rain or flood event ends and the debris and deposits are removed, the gate can be closed and secured.”
Two vehicles driven by cartel smugglers drive away from the open border wall after dropping off migrants.Daniel William McKnight
About 1,300 immigrants enter the country through the Tucson sector each day, according to the Border Patrol. James Breeden/Shutterstock for NY Post
The union representing the agents has called on the department to close the gates.
“In my opinion and in the opinion of Border Patrol agents, those doors should not be open,” said National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd.
Neither the Border Patrol nor its parent agency, US Customs and Border Protection, responded to The Post’s request about when the doors might close.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
