Migrants cross through a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Jacumba Hot Springs, California. (Mark Abramson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CRISIS IN CALIFORNIA: MIGRANTS OVERWHELMING STATE WITH ‘NO END IN SIGHT,’ LOCAL OFFICIALS WARN
Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens last month described not knowing who is crossing the southern border illegally as a "national security threat."
"What’s keeping me up at night is the 140,000 known gotaways" so far in fiscal year 2024, Owens said during a "Face the Nation" interview on CBS, referring to migrants who trigger sensors or are seen on camera crossing the border, but are not taken into custody.
What’s keeping me up at night is the 140,000 known gotaways
Border Patrol doesn't know what those individuals are bringing into the country, nor what their intentions are in the United States, he said.
"Those things for us are what represent the threat to our communities," he said. "Border security is a big piece of national security."
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, left, and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells are frustrated with the federal government's handling of the border. They said hundreds of migrants are dropped off daily in their region and, while many continue on to other cities or states, those who stay put a strain on local resources. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Wells said "everybody was very security-minded."
"We never would have thought that we would allow people to just flood into the country with no checking on their background whatsoever and just say, 'No, it's all going to be fine because they need asylum,'" he said.
"We've changed so much in that short period of time, and I think we're going to pay a price for it," Wells added.
To hear more from Wells and Desmond, click here.
Hannah Ray Lambert is an associate producer/writer with Fox News Digital Originals.
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