While congressional Democrats continue to deny funding for a border wall based on claims that illegal alien families are simply refugees fleeing violence in their home countries, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials report that to date this year, they've already found more than 6,000 cases of adults posing as fake parents and trying to enter the country with children that aren't theirs in order to gain entry to the United States.
John Modlin, Acting Deputy Chief for CBP's Law Enforcement Operational Programs, told Congress during a hearing that border patrol agents alone have already identified more than 6,100 individuals posing as fake families with children to get into the United States at the Southwest U.S. border this year to date.
"They recognize when things aren’t right between what’s purported to be a family member and a child. They notice things that don’t occur in a normal familial situation," Modlin said.
"To date, we have identified more than 6,100 individuals that have made fraudulent claims as to being a family member in order to gain [entry into the United States]," he continued.
“6,100 individuals?” Rep. Greg Walden (R-Oregon) repeated.
“Over 6,100 sir, yes. And that’s just what the border patrol has found,” Modlin reiterated, adding that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have likely found more.
Modlin added that many of these same children are being used repeatedly by multiple adults to get across the U.S. border, explaining that without ICE agents, trafficked minors would be difficult if not impossible to identify and protect.
“The children are being used as nothing more than a commodity in this,” he said. “And this of course goes into the interior of the country to locations where the cartels and these [transnational criminal organizations] are using these kids over and over. ICE is critical for that.”
Modlin's testimony echoes remarks made by President Donald Trump Tuesday before the United Nations, in which he called out "open border activists" for "undermining human rights and human dignity" with their "cruel and evil" policies.
We have identified more than 6100 individuals who have made fraudulent claims of being family members so that they can game the weaknesses in our immigration framework and avoid detention. pic.twitter.com/KmKXYPLT90
— USBPChief (@USBPChief) September 24, 2019