If you see a drop in stories covering the crisis at the border and illegal immigration, don’t be surprised. The Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — who claimed migrants were being whipped by Border Patrol agents on horseback when they were not — has ordered an information crackdown. Try not to look too shocked.
Breitbart had the chance to review a directive from DHS that will keep all Customs and Border Protection managers from releasing statistics about the apprehension of illegal immigrants without DHS approval. This includes speaking directly to the public or through social media. In the article, Randy Clark states, “The directive precludes Border Patrol managers from releasing any interim arrest statistics or stories as the decision over the potential end [of] Title 42 enforcement now sits before the Supreme Court.”
According to the article, there has already been a drop in weekly or daily recaps on apprehensions and other news related to illegal immigration by parts of the Border Patrol. The unnamed source who talked to Breitbart said the directive will now give DHS complete control over the narrative, especially after the end of Title 42 and the expected crush of immigrants begins. The source also indicated that any future releases of information could be delayed or massaged to minimize real or potential impacts.
Related: Texas National Guard Secures the Border but Can Only Do so Much
By doing so, DHS can now keep the worst information from the public, despite what people in border states see with their own eyes. And with the FBI claiming the Twitter Files are the product of conspiracy theorists, similar claims can now be made about “unauthorized” information regarding the border crisis. And of course, the low-information voters who limit their intake of news and have no idea what was released in the Twitter Files or what is going on at the border will gulp it down, nod, and ask for more.
In a quasi-related story, ICE plans to set a yet-to-be-reported number of single adult illegal immigrants loose in Nashville, Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee told Fox News Digital:
We’ve been informed by ICE that they plan to release single adult detainees into Tennessee while they await court proceedings. This is irresponsible and a threat to the safety of Tennesseans.
Furthermore, we already have a national security crisis at our border, and the Biden administration’s attempt to revoke Title 42 will only incentivize more illegal crossings,” he added. “It’s not compassionate to perpetuate a problem that leads to more exploitation and trafficking. 7,000 people unlawfully enter our country every day.
Frankly, I’m surprised that ICE told Lee anything. Maybe they just couldn’t figure out how to avoid letting him know. Had Lee not made this information public, the people of Nashville would have had no idea that this influx of illegals was coming. Chances are, ICE would have probably preferred to keep this information on, well, ice.
And that may be the point of gagging CBP agents. The less the public knows, the happier the government will be. And it will be easier for it to do what it wants.
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