CNN was seemingly shocked to learn the staggering amount of illegal immigrants that are expected to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in the coming weeks.
In a segment this week, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz sounded the alarm. Ortiz told CNN he is expecting to make up to 8,000 arrests a day, which "will probably become the norm over the next 30 to 45 days."
"We're managing a flow that's significant," Ortiz said. "As I get to, you know, 7,000 to 7,500 a day average, that's going to put additional strain."
In addition to sending more agents to the field to prepare for the impending surge, Ortiz explained he will be relying on the Red Cross and Chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen to meet the needs of people who get taken into custody.
"I want to continue those types of relationships, because that's a big part of our strategy is making sure one that you know, we can do everything we can to secure the border, but we can't do it by ourselves," he said. "We have to work with our communities and partners and everyone else out there."
The Department of Homeland Security is also looking to expand holding facilities in sectors where they continue to have high apprehension rates as many of those facilities are overcapacity.
"The chief of Border Patrol says he is bracing for a staggering 8,000 apprehensions a day...That is a huge number," CNN host Brianna Keilar said in response to the report.
Border Patrol sources have told Townhall they expect the situation along the southern border to become worse once Title 42 is officially removed. Title 42 has been a health order used by Border Patrol to quickly expel illegal border crossers to prevent COVID-19 from being spread in holding facilities, but with many COVID mandates and restrictions being lifted, the Center for Disease Control may not extend the order beyond April.
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