Less than half of the U.S.-Mexico border is under “operational control,” and one out of every five illegal immigrants caught there has a criminal record, the chief of Border Patrol agents’ labor union told Congress Wednesday when detailing violence that increasingly spills over the international boundary.

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said the level of criminal activity belies claims that because fewer illegal immigrants are being caught, the border has improved in recent years.

“This is the challenge we are facing at the border today,” he said. “There are those who will point to lower apprehension rates and tell you the border is secure. Border Patrol agents, however, throughout this nation will tell you the border is not secure, and the southwest border certainly is not safe.”

The dangers were highlighted earlier this year when a Customs and Border Protection helicopter was fired upon while flying near Laredo, Texas, forcing it to make an emergency landing — though nobody was injured. Officials have blamed the Zetas cartel for the incident.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, who called for Wednesday’s hearing, said the deteriorating security contrasts with the Obama administration’s picture of an improving situation.

And he forcefully objected to the State Department’s decision to change pay for its employees at consulates in northern Mexico, which will cost many of them their hazard pay because the department no longer deems the region unsafe.
“Shame on you,” Mr. Chaffetz told Gregory Starr, assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security.

Mr. Starr retorted that he wakes up every day with his employees’ safety in mind, and insisted the situation on the ground has improved for most consulate employees in northern Mexico.

“Sir, I’ve walked that ground, I’ve talked with those people. I look at our security every single day. There is nobody that is more concerned with the security of our people overseas than I am,” he said.

The status of the border sparks an intense debate, and it’s not just an academic question.

Read the article “Agents: Just 40% of Mexican Border under Control, 20% of Illegal Immigrants Caught There Have Criminal Records” on washingtontimes.com.