Former Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem has suggested that Mexican cartels may be the unlikely source of order at the southern border following the end of Title 42 on Thursday night.
While many officials have warned that this could lead to chaos and a surge of illegal migration, Clem argued that cartels would keep things under control to ensure their operations are not hindered.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Clem, who has twenty-seven years of federal law enforcement experience, stated, "People that are really orchestrating this do not want to make it any more painful." He added, "There's money to be made every time a person crosses the border...If they make it a big disaster by having disorganized chaos, there's going to be a response."
Clem suggested that the cartels have adjusted their business model to handle a few thousand migrants a day and that too many or too much chaos would hurt their profits. However, he also noted that if his theory proved incorrect and there was a massive surge of illegal migrants, the response from the U.S. side would be ready.
"I think it is very well coordinated," he said of the American border patrol effort, "not because of the administration, because of the people that are running the agencies. It is the men and women on the ground."
As have border states, the Biden administration has increased its efforts to quell a potential surge. Texas has taken the strongest approach, deploying a new "Tactical Border Force" to assist the thousands of agents working to protect the country.
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