Border Patrol stops illegal immigrant convicted of murder, marking 10th killer arrested since October

Border Patrol agents apprehended an illegal immigrant with a prior conviction for murder this week, authorities announced on Friday, making it the 10th such arrest since the fiscal year began in October.

The illegal alien from El Salvador was arrested on Thursday, and Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said he had been previously convicted of murder.

“So far in FY24 (since Oct. 1st), USBP has arrested 10 subjects with homicide/murder convictions,” Owens said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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The arrest comes amid regular apprehensions of criminals coming across the southern border among the millions of illegal immigrants hitting the U.S. border each year.

There were 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23, and records have been set for monthly encounters in December when there were over 300,000 encounters. In FY 23, there were over 35,000 criminals encountered, both at the ports of entry and between them. In FY 24 so far, there have been more than 6,000 criminals encountered.

Additionally, Border Patrol officials have previously raised concerns about the potential for gotaways to get past overwhelmed Border Patrol agents. There were over 650,000 gotaways in FY 23, and Owens told lawmakers last year that it’s a concern for them.

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“If a person is willing to put themselves into harm’s way crossing through very remote, very dangerous conditions to evade capture, you have to ask yourself why. What makes them willing to take that risk? That’s of concern to me,” he said. “What’s also of concern to me is I don’t know who that individual is. I don’t know where they came from. I don’t know what their intention is. I don’t know what they brought with them. That unknown represents a risk, a threat. It’s of great concern to anybody that wears this uniform.”

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., lawmakers are negotiating with the administration over a $14 billion border security funding request as part of the emergency supplemental.

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The Biden administration has said that it needs more funding and comprehensive immigration reform from Congress, arguing that it needs more money for processing as well as increased expedited removals and deportation flights. Republicans have blamed the crisis on the administration’s releases of migrants into the interior and other policies, and they have demanded stricter limits on asylum and parole as part of any agreement.