U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that Border Patrol agents have faced 463 assaults in the first six months of 2024. The majority of these assaults have been physical, with other incidents involving rocks or projectiles thrown at agents, firearms, knives, and agents being targeted with vehicles and vessels.
In January, a Border Patrol agent in Arizona’s Yuma sector required 17 stitches after being attacked with rocks by human smugglers. The data was released just days before President Joe Biden’s recent executive action limiting the number of illegal immigrants who can claim asylum to 2,500 per day.
Republicans have criticized the move, with Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) questioning, “If that number can be 2,500, why not make it zero?” In March, Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) proposed the “POLICE Act,” which would prevent illegal immigrants who have assaulted law enforcement officers from obtaining legal status or citizenship. Democrats blocked the bill for the third time.
Budd shared a personal connection to the issue, referencing the murder of Wake County, North Carolina Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd, who was killed in August 2022 along with his K9, Sasha, allegedly by two brothers who ambushed him during a suspicious activity check.
Border Patrol reported apprehending more than 250,000 migrants in Arizona’s Tucson sector during the first four months of the fiscal year, while recent data shows San Diego’s southern border has become a hotspot for illegal crossings.
