A former chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector delivered damning testimony Wednesday before the House Homeland Security committee, saying that he was muzzled by the administration and told not to release information about illegal border crossers with possible terrorist ties.
The chief alleged that the Biden-Harris regime was trying to mislead the public:
Aaron Heitke, who served as the chief patrol agent for U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego sector, claimed during a House hearing Wednesday that arrests of “significant interest aliens” have increased since President Joe Biden took office.
He defined “significant interest aliens” as people with ties to terrorism and accused the administration of trying to cover up a rise in arrest statistics.
“At the time, I was told I could not release any information on this increase in SIAs or mention any of the arrests,” Heitke said. “The administration was trying to convince the public there was no threat at the border.”
"The Biden-Harris administration has intentionally left us vulnerable," the committee posted on their website.
Incredibly damning. Former San Diego sector Border Patrol chief Aaron Heitke, who retired last summer, testifies that he was told he could not release any information on special interest alien apprehensions w/ possible terror concerns, nor could he mention any of their arrests.… https://t.co/hNBmZDxFOb
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 19, 2024
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Fox News reporter Bill Melugin writes in the above tweet:
He says San Diego sector typically saw 10-15 SIA arrests per year, but in 2022, 2023, & 2024, when word was about the border was easy to get across, those numbers exploded to over 100 each year.
He also testified that the Biden admin forbid him from speaking to the media, and he was told to move migrants out of sight of the media, also adding that, “I had to release illegal aliens by the hundreds each day into communities who could not support them. To quiet the problem, two flights a week were provided from San Diego to Texas. These flights simply brought aliens that would have been released in San Diego over to Texas.” [Bolding mine.]
This testimony is stunning, though not surprising. The Biden-Harris team has left a welcome mat for illegal aliens since day one of the regime, when they began systematically shredding former President Trump's far more effective border policies.
The committee reported that the administration's dereliction of duty has put the nation in danger. They note there have been over 10.1 million aliens encountered at our borders, with nearly two million "gotaways.” Chairman August Pluger (R-TX) highlighted the threat:
The most glaring statistic that alarms me the most is the 382 individuals whose names appear on the terrorist watchlist were stopped trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally between ports of entry from FY2021 to FY2024 year to date. This is compared to the 11 individuals apprehended from FY2017 – FY2020.
If we know that nearly two million individuals are considered “gotaways,” how many of these individuals also appear on the terror watch list?
This inept administration has not only hurt our pocketbooks and heightened their dangerous political rhetoric, but they've put us all in danger with their willful refusal to carry out their duties.
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