Border Patrol chief says tougher policies needed to deter migrants crossings

Washington — In an question and reply connected Thursday pinch CBS News, Border Patrol main Jason Owens said nan U.S. authorities needs to instrumentality tougher migration policies, including by jailing migrants, to deter unlawful crossings on nan confederate border.

"I deliberation we request to return a look astatine nan asylum laws and make it wherever only group that person a morganatic declare tin declare asylum," Owens said successful his first sit-down question and reply successful English since assuming nan apical domiciled astatine Border Patrol successful June 2023. "I deliberation that we request to beryllium capable to enforce nan migration laws that are connected nan books and clasp group accountable whenever they take to break nan law."

Asked if was referring to tougher national policies, Owens said, "Yes."

"If there's nary information to do it nan correct way, and nan correct way, it is causing group to person to hold a small spot longer," Owens said. "Naturally, they're going to take to travel betwixt nan ports of entry. We request to return that disconnected nan array and make judge everybody's coming done nan beforehand door."

During nan question and reply wrong Customs and Border Protection office successful Washington, Owens said Border Patrol, which is nether CBP, needs much resources and nan expertise to enforce higher "consequences" for migrants who transverse nan U.S.-Mexico separator without authorization.

"I'm talking astir jailhouse time. I'm talking astir being removed from nan state and I'm talking astir being banned from being capable to travel backmost because you chose to travel successful nan forbidden measurement alternatively of nan established lawful pathways that we group for you," he said.

Over nan past 3 years, Owens' agency has reported grounds levels of migrant apprehensions on nan confederate border, including much than 2 cardinal successful each of nan past fiscal years.

Owens besides made his first comments connected SB4, a Texas migration law that would let authorities and section officials successful nan Lone Star State to arrest, jailhouse and prosecute migrants. The law, which is being challenged by nan Biden administration, was again put connected clasp by a national appeals tribunal earlier this week.

Owens said nan rule is "not going to extremity america from doing our job," and that location is "no amended partner for nan Border Patrol than nan Texas Department of Public Safety."

"We person worked manus successful manus pinch that agency for arsenic agelong arsenic I've been astir and I don't spot that ever stopping. They person ever been very bully astatine complementing our mission," Owens added. "They backmost america up erstwhile we're retired successful nan field, and we do for them arsenic well. So immoderate nan laws are that they're going to beryllium enforcing, our ngo remains constant. Their ngo remains constant."