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The man who was apprehended at the United States Capitol for allegedly possessing a machete and a knife was, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, a previously released Venezuelan illegal immigrant.
Upon discovering a machete concealed beneath his clothing, Capitol Police apprehended Jose Leonardo Marquez, 23, and on December 27, ICE reportedly took him into custody. Marquez was taken into custody by the Border Patrol on August 21, 2022, but he was later released “due to a lack of detention capacity.” The reason for his release was that he was enrolled in a tracking program called “Alternatives to Detention.”
“Jose Leonardo Marquez-Marquez posed a significant threat to people in and around the U.S. Capitol,” Patrick Divver, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., acting field office director, said in a statement regarding the arrest. “Thanks to our law enforcement partners at the U.S. Capitol Police, this threat was mitigated quickly. Fortunately, Marquez is currently in ERO custody and will face removal proceedings.”
According to ICE, Marquez was issued a court date upon his October 5th check-in. U.S. Capitol Police have charged Marquez with having a prohibited weapon and carrying a dangerous weapon.
According to federal data, the number of illegal migrants encountered by the Border Patrol surpassed 2 million in fiscal year 2023 and 2.2 million in fiscal year 2022, indicating that illegal immigration at the southern border has reached record highs in recent years.
After more than 2,200 arrests in FY 2022 and about 2,300 in FY 2021, ICE made approximately 3,000 arrests for criminal offenses in FY 2023, according to the agency.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday it has custody of Jose Leonardo Marquez-Marquez, 23. https://t.co/fko0dAxllu
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 3, 2024
Based on internal government data obtained by CBS News, U.S. immigration officials are expected to process over 300,000 migrants in December, which is a record-breaking monthly high. This figure is likely to include an unprecedented number of families migrating with children.
An unprecedented surge in migrants has reached a critical point in the three-year-long crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. This crisis has put a strain on resources in both large and small U.S. communities, left countless migrants in uncertainty, and forced lawmakers to consider severely restricting asylum. Additionally, it has made President Biden’s reelection campaign much more vulnerable.
Under the appointment system put in place by the Biden administration, U.S. Border Patrol agents at the Mexican border are expected to apprehend a quarter of a million illegal immigrants this month, while their counterparts at official ports of entry are anticipated to process approximately 50,000 new arrivals.
According to monthly tallies going back to fiscal year 2000, the number of migrants processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border in one month has never been higher.
When the government processed almost 270,000 migrants at and between southern border ports of entry in September, it was the previous monthly high.
According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in the first 28 days of December, agents from the Border Patrol apprehended nearly 235,000 migrants who illegally crossed the southern border between ports of entry, with an average of about 8,400 apprehensions per day.
At the current rate of arrests, the Border Patrol will set a new monthly record with approximately 260,000 people apprehended.
Border Patrol is on pace to meet or exceed the 103,000 family member apprehensions it recorded in September, the current monthly high for this demographic, with nearly 96,000 migrant parents and children traveling together processed through Dec. 28, according to the data.
Due to the inherent dangers of detaining children and the practical and legal constraints on doing so, dealing with families presents special difficulties for federal officials.
Based on the data provided by the DHS, the first 28 days of December saw 127,000 adult migrants processing alone and nearly 12,000 children without an adult.
Arrivals from Venezuela, which had declined in the fall following the announcement by the Biden administration that it would carry out direct deportations to Venezuela, one of the countries hit hard by the economic crisis, contributed to the increase in illegal crossings in December.
According to internal data, the number of illegal immigrants from Venezuela processed by the Border Patrol increased from 23,000 in November to 50,000 in December.
We can’t use the final three days of December in our internal statistics. On Thursday, CBS News was the first to report that last month’s total illegal border crossings were at a record high.
