The United States is sending a strong message of deterrence at the southern border, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Torres told Newsmax on Thursday.
Torres, who led ICE from 2008 to 2009, appeared on "Finnerty" to discuss recent policy changes aimed at curbing illegal immigration and targeting cartels. He said the sharp decline in border crossings is a visible sign of strengthened enforcement measures.
"By designating cartels as terrorist groups and being able to focus on shutting down the border, you're sending a strong message of deterrence that the American people can actually see now with border crossings down 95%," Torres said.
Last week, CBS News reported that Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks said illegal southern border crossings are down 94% from the same period in 2024.
"When you think about what's been going on, especially as you talk about bombs across the border, ... we look at what happened with al-Qaida, with the East Africa embassy bombings in '98, or with the USS Cole in 2000, and even, of course, 9/11," Torres said.
"All that pales in comparison to the amount of people that died in those terrorist attacks, compared to the 75,000 that are dying annually from overdoses of fentanyl crossing the southwest border."
President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China is partly aimed at combating the illicit flow of fentanyl into the U.S., where the opioid is blamed for some 70,000 overdose deaths annually.
Torres said the effort to secure the nation's interior is underway, with multiple federal agencies working in coordination with ICE to combat organized crime.
"You have ATF [the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives], FBI, the marshals, DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration]. You're seeing results every single day, but they're just getting started with that," he said.
"You really have to focus on the cartels. You'll see much longer, more complex investigations. You'll see racketeering investigations, undercover investigations. And those take a little bit more time, obviously. And they require a lot more evidence to make those cases in court," he said.
Torres said the cartel crackdown is still in its early stages but that collaboration among law enforcement agencies will eventually yield significant results.
"They're starting to target criminals in the cities with their fugitive operations," he said. "You're starting to see the beginning of it now."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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