Border Patrol chief says not knowing who enters the US illegally, or why, adds up to a ‘national threat’

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said Sunday during an interview that not knowing who is crossing the southern border illegally and what their intent is, is a "national security threat."

Owens sat with CBS for an interview aired on Face the Nation, where he spoke about nearing a million migrant apprehensions between U.S.-Mexico ports of entry so far in fiscal year 2024. The agency is also on track to reach two million apprehensions by the end of September, when the fiscal year ends, according to Owens.

"That number is a large number, but what’s keeping me up at night is the 140,000 known gotaways," Owens said.

Known gotaways are those migrants who cross into the U.S. illegally, triggering sensors or being seen on camera, yet are not taken into custody by agents.

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A group of over 100 migrants attempting to enter the U.S. illegally rush a border wall Thursday, March 21, 2024. In the process, the migrants knock down Texas National Guardsmen before they are halted by the border wall. (James Breeden for New York Post / Mega)

Owens explained there are several questions that keep him up at night, things like why the migrants are risking their lives and crossing in areas agents cannot get to; what the migrants have to hide; what they are carrying in; what the migrants’ intentions are; and where they are coming from.

"Those things for us are what represent the threat to our communities," he said before saying those things add up to a national threat. "Border security is a big piece of national security."

Owens continued, saying if agents do not know who is coming into the U.S. and why, that is a threat. Along with that threat, those entering the country illegally are "exploiting a vulnerability that’s on our border right now."

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President Biden walks with Jason Owens, chief of U.S. Border Patrol, as he visits the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas, on Feb. 29.  (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Owens acknowledged that the majority of migrants coming into the U.S. at the southern border are "good people," and turn themselves in.

"I wish they would choose the right way to come into our country and not start off on the wrong foot by breaking our laws," Owens said.

While the majority are "good people," as Owens said, there is a "very small amount" of people entering the U.S. illegally who are criminals, like gang members or sex offenders.

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Migrants are stopped by a fence near the U.S. southern border.  (James Breeden for New York Post / Mega)

But many are just looking to get away from rough conditions back home, according to Owens.

"They’re coming across because they’re either fleeing terrible conditions or they’re economic migrants looking for a better way of life," Owens said.

Last Thursday, Owens suggested jail time or tougher consequences to stop illegal crossings into the U.S. from Mexico, during an interview with CBS.

The remark came as a large group of illegal immigrants were captured on video bursting through razor wire and surging toward a border wall in El Paso, Texas.

"I'm talking about jail time. I'm talking about being removed from the country, and I'm talking about being banned from being able to come back, because you chose to come in the illegal way instead of the established lawful pathways that we set for you," Owens said. 

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An aerial view of migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Owens added, "I think we need to take a look at the asylum laws and make it where only people that have a legitimate claim can claim asylum." 

Last week, the Supreme Court briefly allowed Texas’ anti-illegal immigration law, which allows police to arrest illegal immigrants, to go into effect despite a legal challenge from the Biden administration. The case was kicked back down to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which then blocked the law again hours later as arguments proceeded on the merits. 

The Biden administration has claimed that the law encroaches upon federal responsibility over immigration enforcement.  

"S.B. 4 will not only make communities in Texas less safe, it will also burden law enforcement, and sow chaos and confusion at our southern border. S.B. 4 is just another example of Republican officials politicizing the border while blocking real solutions, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement this week. 

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But Owens told CBS News on Thursday that the law is "not going to stop us from doing our job," and there is "no better partner for the Border Patrol than the Texas Department of Public Safety." 

"We have worked hand in hand with that agency for as long as I've been around, and I don't see that ever stopping," he added. "They have always been very good at complementing our mission. They back us up when we're out in the field, and we do for them as well. So, whatever the laws are that they're going to be enforcing, our mission remains constant. Their mission remains constant." 

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.