Border Patrol Union criticizes feds after 'warning' sent ahead of migrant 'enforcement operation' in Texas

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US southern border sees record-high illegal crossings with Title 42 set to expire

Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin has the latest from the border in Brownsville, Texas on 'Special Report.'

The Border Patrol Union criticized the Department of Homeland Security Monday night for announcing a "targeted enforcement operation" in Texas to remove or detain illegal immigrants – accusing the feds of tipping off migrants hours before the operation is supposed to take place.

Agents from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are set to carry out the initiative on Tuesday in El Paso, where approximately 2,200 migrants are currently camped out or living on the streets a few blocks from major ports of entry that connect the city with Juárez, Mexico.

"Nothing like publicly announcing that dangerous people will be arrested, while warning them ahead of time exactly where to run and hide to avoid arrest," the Border Patrol Union tweeted late Monday evening.

The National Border Patrol Council, which represents approximately 18,000 Border Patrol agents and support personnel, went on to say the entire operation was a "sad joke" and "another pandering PR stunt."

CBP, ICE TO LAUNCH ENFORCEMENT OPERATION IN EL PASO AS MIGRANT NUMBERS SURGE AHEAD OF TITLE 42’S END

An aerial view shows migrants waiting to cross the Rio Bravo into the U.S. before the Title 42 policy, which allows for the immediate expulsion of irregular migrants entering the country, comes to an end, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on May 8, 2023.  (Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"Serious law enforcement leaders don’t behave this way," the union added.

The CBP said the operation will see agents "process individuals for vetting and placement into Title 42 expulsion or Title 8 removal proceedings, as applicable," adding that any individuals posing a national security risk will be transported to ICE for detention.

The Title 42 public health order, which has been used to expel hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants quickly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to expire on Thursday. It was initially issued in 2020 under then-President Donald Trump.

In March, nearly half of all migrant encounters ended in a Title 42 expulsion.

Migrants in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, wait to cross the Rio Bravo into the U.S. before the Title 42 policy comes to an end on Thursday, May 11, 2023. (Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

FOX NEWS FOOTAGE CAPTURES HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS CROSSING INTO TEXAS AS TITLE 42’S END APPROACHES

Fox News Digital previously reported on Monday that a border surge near El Paso has witnessed over 26,000 apprehensions and over 7,000 "gotaways" within just 72 hours, according to official statistics.

Migrants carrying food and goods cross the banks of the Rio Grande to be processed by the Border Patrol El Paso Sector, Texas, after crossing from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on May 8, 2023.  (HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

DEMOCRATS RAIL AGAINST BIDEN ADMIN'S HANDLING OF SOUTHERN BORDER AS TITLE 42 EXPIRATION APPROACHES

Despite the Biden administration repeatedly denying the ongoing migrant crisis, the White House announced last week 1,500 troops would be sent to the border to help support local border officials.

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The White House has also mostly skipped out on visiting the southern border.

President Biden made a single visit in January 2023 after being in office for nearly two years. Vice President Kamala Harris, despite being named immigration czar, visited a CBP facility in El Paso in June 2021.

Fox News' Adam Shaw and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.