Tucson Sector Border Patrol officials warned the increasing number of migrants crossing the border of the dangers they face as desert temperatures approach 100 degrees. The sector reports a large increase in the number of migrant apprehensions this year, including a near-400 percent increase in migrant families.
Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin tweeted a video warning migrants of the dangers of crossing the border into the Arizona desert as temperatures approach the 100-degree Fahrenheit mark (nearly 38 degrees Celsius). The video warns of the extreme remoteness and distances migrants face as they attempt their trans-desert trek.
Ajo Station agents patrol a large portion of southern AZ. The area is rural and the temperatures extreme. When crossing NW of Lukeville, AZ, migrants are in extreme danger. Attempting to traverse the desert can take several days and cell service is limited. Do not risk your life. pic.twitter.com/iwwmts2B4U
— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) April 18, 2023
Migrants crossing near Lukeville, Arizona, for instance, face a five-day foot march through rugged terrain to make the 101-mile (162KM) crossing to Interstate 8. The trip from the border to Casa Grande would take approximately six days for the 132-mile (32KM) journey.
The video also includes headlines from articles detailing the record number of migrant deaths in the region. “As temperatures rise, crossing into the U.S. will become even more deadly,” the video warns. “Crossing the border means risking your life.”
The warning comes as the Tucson Sector climbed the rankings to become the second-busiest of the nine southwest Border Patrol sectors. In March, Tucson Sector agents apprehended nearly 34,000 migrants who crossed the border between ports of entry. This is up nearly 25 percent from the previous year and is second behind the El Paso Sector which reported nearly 40,000 apprehensions in March.
Perhaps most disturbingly, as temperatures rise, the sector’s March report reveals a nearly 505 percent increase in the number of family unit migrants apprehended crossing the border.
The number of large migrant groups crossing the border into the Tucson Sector is rising as well. Chief Modlin tweeted a report indicating the apprehension of two large migrant groups totaling 476 migrants crossed over the weekend near Lukeville — the very region warned about in the video above.
Over the weekend, groups of 235 and 241 migrants were encountered approx. 25 miles NW of Lukeville, AZ. These groups often spread out across a large rural area, increasing risk of separation and abandonment. Especially troubling as temperatures approach 100° throughout the area. pic.twitter.com/ciXbuULSZK
— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) April 18, 2023
“These groups often spread out across a large rural area, increasing risk of separation and abandonment,” Modlin tweeted. “Especially troubling as temperatures approach 100° throughout the area.”
In addition to the nearly 34,000 migrant apprehensions reported in March, another 16,000 migrants are reported as known got aways, according to an unofficial Border Patrol report reviewed by Breitbart Texas. These are an estimated number of migrants who are detected crossing the border but are not apprehended by agents. This brings the number of known border crossers in the Tucson Sector to approximately 50,000.
So far this fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2022, Tucson Sector agents apprehended 146,301 migrants (up 19 percent from the same period last year). Migrant got-aways for the six-month period reached more than 96,000 bringing the total known border crossers for the sector to more than 242,000 migrants.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
Randy Clark contributed to this article. Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.