Border Checkpoint Shut Down After Massive Influx of Asylum Requests

Border Checkpoint Shut Down After Massive Influx of Asylum Requests A record number of asylum requests and border crossings has forced the El Paso Border Patrol sector to temporarily close its highway checkpoints. “We were told to go ahead and close down all the checkpoints,” a Border Patrol official told Texas Monthly. Agents who typically work at the checkpoints will instead be used to transport and process asylum seekers for an indefinite amount of time. These checkpoints are used to inspect cross-border cargo, where agents work to stop the flow of illicit drugs such as fentanyl, marijuana and methamphetamine from reaching the U.S. interior. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen The surge in illegal immigration primarily stems from Guatemalan and Honduran nationals, who have fled their home countries in droves to escape poverty and gang-related crime. ICE detainment facilities have become so overwhelmed with illegal aliens, an agency spokesman revealed on Thursday that her agency has been forced to release more than 100,000 migrant family members in the past three months.