Republicans call hearing, as party seeks to make border a major issue in fall elections, while Democrats accuse Donald Trump of deliberately keeping the issue alive
A former US border patrol chief agent on Wednesday claimed that the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to hide a rise in individuals linked to terrorism at California's border with Mexico.
Aaron Heitke, the former chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol's sector San Diego, California, told a House of Representatives hearing on Wednesday that arrests of "significant interest aliens" have risen since President Joe Biden took office.
He described "significant interest aliens" or SIAs as individuals with ties to terrorism, accusing the administration of working to conceal a rise in arrest statistics.
“At the time, I was told I could not release any information on this increase in SIAs or mention any of the arrests. The administration was trying to convince the public there was no threat at the border,” Heitke told the hearing, which was called by Republicans, who hold a majority in the House.
Heitke claimed that the number of arrests of such individuals in the San Diego sector rose from 10-15 a year before 2021 to over 100 in 2022.
“To quiet the problem, two flights a week were provided from San Diego to Texas. These flights simply brought aliens that would have been released in San Diego over to Texas.
“Each flight cost approximately $150,000. This was the administration's way to try and quiet the border-wide crisis,” he said.
He added that the numbers rose “once word was out the border was far easier to cross.”
Heitke said he had to release individuals who crossed the border illegally into local communities that were unable to support them.
“I had to release illegal aliens by the hundreds each day into communities who could not support them,” he added.
Republicans have worked to make the border a major issue ahead of presidential and congressional elections on Nov. 5, saying that Harris – who is running for president – is largely to blame, calling her the “border czar.”
Democrats have pointed to falling numbers of border crossings for the last six months, adding that former President Donald Trump – Harris' Republican opponent – early this year intentionally derailed a bipartisan border bill, hoping to use the issue to win the election this fall.
