EXCLUSIVE: Fox News video from the southern border shows a flood of illegal migrant activity in New Mexico, while elsewhere along the border agents are catching sex offenders and other criminals attempting to enter the United States.
Footage taken by Fox’s team in New Mexico showed men walking around the border wall in Sunland, New Mexico, before one takes off into the United States. Elsewhere, coyotes and scouts could be seen monitoring Fox’s crew and Border Patrol agents.
Separate footage showed Border Patrol busting migrants in the desert after they crossed into the United States. One Border Patrol agent told Fox Border Patrol has lost control of nearby Mt. Cristo Rey to human smugglers,
"It's not ours. … It's theirs," the agent said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
The U.S. is now in the fourth year of a historic migrant crisis at the southern border, which has shown few signs of slowing. Migrant traffic frequently moves, and New Mexico is becoming a top destination for those seeking to get into the U.S.
In Nogales, Arizona, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized multiple weapons and cash in ten separate incidents, including one man with a gun strapped onto his chest.
Things are much quieter in Eagle Pass, Texas, where migrant flows have reduced since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on border security measures at the key crossing point, including the seizure of a staging area in January.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: CROWDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CUT RAZOR WIRE, RUSH ACROSS BORDER INTO TEXAS
In El Paso, however, there have been a number of surges toward the border, including multiple instances in which migrants have cut razor wire before surging toward the wall.
Also in the El Paso Sector, which includes parts of Texas and New Mexico, 29 migrants were found in a human smuggling stash house. Meanwhile, in the Del Rio Sector, agents arrested two confirmed sex offenders, including one with a conviction for child sex offenses, this week.
The border remains a top political issue heading into the 2024 election. The Biden administration has said it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis and trying to implement consequences for illegal crossings while expanding "lawful migration pathways."
It has said it needs more funding from Congress and immigration reform to fix what it says is a "broken" system. It has appealed for the passage of a bipartisan Senate bill to do just that.
But Republicans have argued the crisis is caused by the rolling back of Trump-era policies and Biden-era moves to expand "catch-and-release" and reduce interior enforcement.
The battle over that policy is seen in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott is entangled in multiple legal battles with the administration, including over the establishment of razor wire and a Texas law to grant power to police to arrest illegal immigrants.
Amid that battle, Abbott has touted the state's efforts to reinforce the barrier, including adding extra concertina wire.
"Texas will exercise our sovereign authority to protect our southern border — and our nation — because President Biden refuses to enforce federal immigration laws," Abbott said this week.
Fox News' Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
