Chaos Erupts in Texas Border Town as Los Zetas Cartel Attempts Complex Smuggling Operation

(Video embedded in article)

RIO BRAVO, Texas — Chaos erupted in a small Texas border town as Los Zetas smugglers launched a complex smuggling operation. Border Patrol agents responded to an illegal crossing that quickly tied up agency resources in the area, enabling smugglers to move higher-value cargo elsewhere.

What had only moments earlier been a quiet neighborhood became a scene of chaos as Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) helicopter aircrew leaped into action following the illegal crossing of a few migrants. Agents captured at least one in the presence of the Breitbart News team while the complex Los Zetas-connected smuggling operation unfolded.

Shortly after Breitbart News stopped at a well-known river crossing area in Rio Bravo, a monitoring Border Patrol agent quickly drove off in response to illegal activity. As the Breitbart crew followed, multiple Border Patrol vehicles responded and the AMO helicopter quickly appeared overhead to provide air cover and communications to the ground-based agents. Breitbart News witnessed the initial runner who led agents on a foot pursuit through the neighborhood.

“This is territory that is controlled by Los Zetas,” Breitbart Border and Cartel Chronicles Projects Director Brandon Darby explained. “This is a neighborhood that is a heavy smuggling neighborhood for Los Zetas.”

“We saw Border Patrol looking for someone, and there are multiple things going on,” Darby said describing the chaos that quickly erupted in the neighborhood. “What’s going on is they use one person to come in and run to distract the authorities while they are doing something else.”

During an April 2015 interview with Darby, Border Patrol Agent Hector Garza, speaking in his role as the then-president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2455, confirmed that the areas directly across the river from Laredo and its surrounding communities are controlled by the Los Zetas Cartel.

As Darby described the unfolding scene, he said, “What’s happening is people in the U.S. connected to Los Zetas and the Los Zetas smuggling operation is occurring. We’re getting to see the CBP response. We’re getting to see Air and Marine. We’re getting to see Border Patrol agents in action. And we’re also getting to see the cartel-connected smugglers and scouts in action in this U.S. neighborhood — Rio Bravo, Texas.”

A Breitbart News videographer captured the moment when Border Patrol agents and a Homeland Security Investigations special agent took one of the runners into custody. The situation became tense while processing the captured illegal alien as what appeared to be a scout vehicle pulled up directly behind the Border Patrol vehicle to document the situation.

“We’ve seen guys walk past on cell phones,” Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow recounted. “They’re eyeing us. They’re counting our cars. They’re counting how many people are here.”

“Some people are driving by and waving and acting nice,” Marlow explained. “Others are driving by and making very aggressive gestures.” He and Darby noted that many of the same vehicles drove by repeatedly. “We’re seeing a lot of action on these streets, where we had been driving all morning and there had been very little action … almost no pedestrians, almost no automobile traffic. Then, all of a sudden, this is the most happening neighborhood in town.”

Darby explained that the cartel smugglers set up complex operations like this where they run a few people across the border to tie up and distract Border Patrol resources. He explained the decoys provide cover for “a drug load or maybe they’re trying to cross a load of people who have given them money — who have given them a significant amount of money or agreed to pay a significant amount of money.”

“So they send one of their own, one of the neighborhood guys who can run fast,” Darby continued. “They send him across and get Border Patrol to look somewhere else, and they can get their load across.”

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/12/16/exclusive-video-chaos-erupts-in-texas-border-town-as-los-zetas-cartel-attempts-complex-smuggling-operation/

Remain in Mexico Program: Out of 47,000 asylum applications, only 11 qualified

Migrant Protection Protocols, better known as the “Remain in Mexico” program, has yielded shocking results that can be attributed to sharp decline in illegal border crossings in recent months. Over 47,000 foreign nationals applied for asylum through the program, but a mere 11 qualified. The rest will have to stay in Mexico or return home.

The program calls for non-Mexican asylum-seekers to be transferred back across the border until their claims are adjudicated. This is a change from the “catch-and-release” policy that allowed illegal immigrants to claim asylum while having no intention of actually following through with the process. They were being released into the interior where they established their lives living illegally in the country, bypassing the legal immigration system and “jumping the line” ahead of those who recognize our national sovereignty.

We have the right as a nation to control our borders. This notion has been muddled recently by radical progressives with open borders agendas who believe anyone who can make it into the country should have the same rights as American citizens. This is not what the asylum system was designed to do. It’s for those who are truly oppressed, and economic hardship does not warrant oppression by any standard around the world, including the U.N.’s progressive stance on asylum.

Those who suffer from economic hardship have legal avenues through which they can become legal immigrants. The asylum system was designed for those who have credible fears for their lives, not for those seeking better opportunities in America.

The low number of qualified applicants demonstrates the efficacy of the program. Asylum claims were being used as a ticket to bypass the border and find opportunity in the shadows in the United States. If they had credible fears for their lives, their applications would have been accepted, yet the vast majority were denied.

This is why only 10% of asylum-seekers return for their hearing. They realize their claims do not meet asylum standards, but they hope they can be released into the interior to disappear indefinitely. The Remain in Mexico program is working.

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11 Migrants Have Qualified For Asylum Under Remain In Mexico Program: Report

However, the program has received criticism from immigrant rights groups and Democrats. Many opponents argue that Remain in Mexico forces migrants to live in squalid conditions and that they are risking their lives residing in communities plagued with violence. Virtually every major Democratic presidential candidate has vowed to defund Remain in Mexico if elected to the White House.

Nevertheless, the administration continues to tout the success Remain in Mexico has in preventing fraudulent asylum seekers from entering the country, and officials note the relief it’s given to Customs and Border Protection employees previously overwhelmed with the border crisis.

https://noqreport.com/2019/12/16/remain-mexico-47000-asylum-applications-11-qualified/

Almost 6M off food stamps after all-time high under Obama

Part 1

A new report reveals that more than 5.9 million people have dropped off food stamps with new work requirements and the burgeoning economy of President Donald Trump – just six years after food stamp levels hit an all-time high under former President Barack Obama in 2013.

With the unemployment rate hitting a 50-year low at 3.5 percent this fall and reaching all-time record low rates for blacks, Hispanics and women, the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveal that 5,975,739 Americans have discontinued using food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) between February 2017 and September 2019.

Getting America back to work

More and more families are now back to work and no longer dependent on government assistance under the Trump administration.

"Household participation in the food stamp program has gone down, as well, with 2,493,912 households discontinuing their participation in SNAP," Breitbart News divulged from the USDA report. "There are currently 36,322,055 individuals and 18,443,991 households enrolled in the food stamp program. Still, USDA officials said those numbers are 'preliminary' due to the 2018 government shutdown, which affected food stamp administration at the beginning of 2019."

Those numbers are a drastic decline from when Trump first took office, and an even bigger drop since Obama was in office, when reliance on the federal government for food was at an all-time high.

"When Trump took office, 42,297,791 individuals and 20,937,903 households were enrolled in SNAP," Breitbart noted. "Individual and household participation in SNAP had consistently declined overall since 2013, when the Obama administration was in power, and enrollment in the program reached its highest point in U.S. history."

After dependence on welfare skyrocketed under Obama, new regulations requiring Americans to be actively seeking work made millions more reliant on their own income and less on government support.

"At the Great Recession's peak during former President Barack Obama's first term in office, enrollment in SNAP grew by 135 percent and cost taxpayers $78 billion," Breitbart explained. "Food stamp enrollment plummeted after state legislatures passed work requirement reform measures to curb dependency on welfare – requiring food stamp recipients to work, volunteer, attend school, or receive job training for 20 hours per week."

Trump's aggressive policies to get Americans back to work have seen dramatic results.

"Enrollment has continued to decline under Trump, but the Trump administration has taken welfare reform measures a step further by taking work requirement legislation found in the states nationwide," the Breitbart report continued.

"The USDA recently finalized a SNAP proposal stating that those who are able-bodied and between the ages of 18-49 and without children or dependents who receive food stamps for more than three months in a 36-month period must work, go to school, receive job training or volunteer to receive benefits, [but] the rule does not apply to those who are over 50-years-old, disabled, pregnant or caretakers for children."

Even lower unemployment is expected with the new proposal slated to take effect in April.

"The law allows states to waive out of this time limit requirement due to poor economic conditions, but before the rule was put into place, areas with unemployment as low as 2.5 percent were eligible for waivers," Breitbart recounted from the USDA report. "The USDA estimates that approximately 755,000 people would discontinue participating in the nation's food stamp program under the work requirements rule, and the rule would reduce federal spending by $7.9 billion over five years."

>>7530189

Almost 6M off food stamps after all-time high under Obama

Part 2

Saving taxpayers money, getting Americans back on their feet

Conservative columnist and author Tom Basile explained how Trump's policies on food stamps promote self-sufficiency, with the Agriculture Department saying they cut could around $5.5 billion of government spending using tax dollars by 2025.

"This is what the president was elected to do," Basile said, according to Fox News. "To reform the federal bureaucracy, to cut taxes, to help create an environment where people can get jobs – not just have these programs, and not just have a handout."

Agreeing with Basile, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue insisted Trump's move will promote financial independence and job attainment.

"Government can be a powerful force for good, but government dependency has never been the American dream," Perdue contended, as noted in the Fox News report. "We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand, but not allowing it to become an indefinitely giving hand."

Basile commended Trump for helping Americans to become economically better off and self-sufficient through fiscal responsibility, lowering the unemployment rate and opening up more jobs.

"For the Trump administration to say that we want to try to responsibly bring down the number of people who are on food stamp programs – if they are able-bodied adults – is not only the responsible thing, but will save taxpayers billions of dollars," Basile argued. "It will contribute to the ultimate goal of greater stability and economic prosperity."

This summer, Trump touted the biggest decline in food stamp usage in a decade. "Food Stamp participation hits 10-year low," Trump tweeted on July 9.

The accuracy of his proclamation was confirmed by Politifact the following week. "[President Trump's] correct …" Politifact maintained. "We rate this True."

https://onenewsnow.com/business/2019/12/16/almost-6m-off-food-stamps-after-all-time-high-under-obama

WHERE IS ICE? Lines Pile Up at NY DMVs After Illegal Aliens are Now being Offered Driver’s Licenses

The Hill reported on Friday, December 13, 2019 that a federal judge rejected a challenge to a law that will allow New York to hand out driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

This law went into effect on Monday, December 16, 2019,

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reported that the law faced its second challenge in court.

Trending: Meet the Female Georgia Republican Who Plans to Dismantle Planned Parenthood

U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe ruled against Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola, declaring he lacked the legal capacity to advance the lawsuit against the New York state government over the new law.

The lawsuit was thrown without the judge ruling on the law’s merits. It represented the last change to block the law before state Department of Motor Vehicles offices opened on Monday, according to the news outlet’s report.

At least three other lawsuits are challenging this law and are either pending or on appeal.

Nevertheless, the law is now being implemented today.

This new law allows immigrants to show foreign-issued documents to prove their identity and age. Additionally, it would not require a valid Social Security number to acquire a driver’s license in the state.

New York Attorney General Letitia James praised the judge’s decision, pointing out that it was the second time a judge has tossed out challenges.

“We expect all public officials to comply with the law, and, as the state’s attorney and chief law enforcement officer, I will continue to vigorously defend it,” James declared in a prepared statement.

Now, The Hill tweeted about the long lines forming to acquire driver’s licenses across New York.

The news outlet posted, “Lines to apply for New York driver’s licenses go as far as around the block on the first day undocumented immigrants can apply for them” on the first day illegal aliens were eligible to acquire driver’s licenses.

New York and other blue states prefer to engage in various forms of anarcho-tyranny such as giving illegal aliens more leeway in occupying jurisdictions that they should have never entered in the first place.

Apart from the illegality of these actions, these states are opening up the door for repeated abuses and the eventual collapse of order as more illegals are encouraged to flood into these states thanks to lax enforcement policies.

President Trump can make things right by threatening to cut off funding to states who are derelict in their responsibility of turning in illegal aliens to proper authorities.

More importantly, he can vastly overhaul U.S. migration policy by switching to a skill-based immigration system, tightening up border security, cracking down on sanctuary cities, and getting rid of magnets such as chain migration and birthright citizenship.

https://bigleaguepolitics.com/where-is-ice-lines-pile-up-at-ny-dmvs-after-illegal-aliens-are-now-being-offered-drivers-licenses-video/

Lines to apply for New York driver's licenses go as far as around the block on the first day undocumented immigrants can apply for them https://t.co/ez6Ca3jxbe pic.twitter.com/7ogsYdTPDb

— The Hill (@thehill) December 16, 2019

>>7530251

Meet the Female Georgia Republican Who Plans to Dismantle Planned Parenthood

On Friday, Republican Marjorie Greene announced she will be running to represent Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.

Defending gun rights will be one of her top priorities in this congressional campaign.

Greene says she has a Georgia Weapons License, carries a firearm for personal protection on a daily basis, and would love to improve upon Georgia’s solid gun laws by passing “Constitutional Carry” legislation.

Trending: Meet the Female Georgia Republican Who Plans to Dismantle Planned Parenthood

However, Greene is not just staunch defender of gun rights.

If elected, Greene will be the strongest voice for the lives of the unborn in Congress.

Speaking exclusively to BLP, Greene made it clear that she will defend the rights of the unborn tooth and nail:

I’m 100% unapologetically pro-life. I will never vote for one penny of our hard-earned tax dollars to go to Planned Parenthood. I’m appalled by the career politicians who say they’ll vote against Planned Parenthood funding, then vote for the funding to the tune of $500 million a year. No more funding for Planned Parenthood if I have anything to say about it. As a mother of three children myself, I believe life begins at conception. That’s why one of the first bills I will cosponsor is the ‘Life at Conception Act’.

Greene wants become the champion of pro-life issues at the federal level.

If victorious, Greene will be fighting one of the most powerful lobbies in all the swamp. As previously reported, Planned Parenthood receive big bucks from corporate oligarchs such as Warren Buffett. On top of that, Planned Parenthood is beginning to open up so-called “Reproduction Centers” throughout urban areas to strengthen its presence across the nation.

There is no question that pro-abortion activists are working relentlessly to advance their causes, which is why they must be met with a strong pro-life resistance.

The Georgia 14th Congressional District Republican Primary takes place in May 19. The qualification day for the race is March 6th.

With Greene running in this race, Second Amendment and pro-life issues will absolutely be at the forefront of political discussion.

https://bigleaguepolitics.com/meet-the-female-georgia-republican-who-plans-to-dismantle-planned-parenthood/

>>7530251

‘This Will Protect Criminals’: Homeland Security Blasts New York Law Allowing Illegal Aliens To Get Driver’s Licenses

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rebuked a New York law that took effect on Monday allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses.

The state’s “Green Light” bill, which Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed in June, makes it possible to apply for a driver’s license without a Social Security number, and makes foreign documentation valid for the purpose of obtaining a license.

“This will protect criminals at the expense of the safety and security of law-abiding New York residents,” a DHS spokesman said in a statement Monday evening.

“Besides giving drivers licenses to hundreds of thousands of people who broke our laws and have come to our country illegally, the New York law also blocks DHS law enforcement officers who investigate crimes like child exploitation, human trafficking, terrorism, the targeting of gang members, sex offenders, and drug smuggling, from accessing important public records,” added the spokesman.

“Accessing this information is vital to building out these criminal cases, identifying criminal suspects, and enhancing officer safety,” the statement continued.

A spokeswoman for the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) confirmed that the state won’t share data with ICE under the new law.

“Under the Green Light Law, no DMV data of any kind can be shared with an agency that primarily enforces immigration law, which means ICE, Customs & Border Protection and Citizenship and Immigration Services do not have access to data unless the DMV is presented with a valid judge-signed court order, subpoena or judicial warrant,” NYS DMV Assistant Commissioner for Communications Lisa Koumjian told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The “Green Light” bill has drawn resistance from county clerks, some of whom have vowed not to comply with the mandate to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Some clerks have said they’re even required to accept foreign report cards as valid forms of identification.

“I’m now going to have to accept a report card from a foreign country and foreign documentation, a foreign passport as authenticated documents. I, myself, as the clerk am going to have to do that,” Erie County Clerk Michael Kearns, a Democrat, told “Fox & Friends” on Saturday. “So they have diminished a New York state driver’s license and we’re very concerned for our safety and security because western New York is a border to Canada.”

https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/16/dhs-new-york-green-light-allow-illegal-alien-driver-license/

>>7530268

Second Notable

Congress Allocates $425 Million For Election Security In New Legislation

Congress has allocated about $425 million in new funding for election security ahead of the 2020 presidential election, a Democratic congressional source confirmed to NPR on Monday.

The funding is part of a spending package expected to be passed by the end of the week.

It also represents a compromise. Democrats in the House had originally hoped for $600 million. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated earlier this year he would support $250 million.

The batch of funding unveiled on Monday was the second tranche to come from Congress since Russia's attack the 2016 election exposed just how vulnerable election systems across the U.S. might be to cyberattacks.

There's no evidence any votes were changed three years ago, but Russian attackers were able to hack into government networks in at least two states, found former Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller.

Congress also allocated $380 million toward election security improvements in the spring of 2018. The money, in both instances, is given via grants to the states, which become responsible for deciding how it is spent.

While election security advocates are sure to laud the government for providing more support for states, they are also already worried about how late the money is coming.

"A year late & a billion dollars short on #electionsecurity," tweeted Maurice Turner, a senior technologist with the Center for Democracy & Technology.

Even though the funding is being appropriated in 2019, that's probably too late to have much of an effect on the 2020 election.

By April of this year, a full 13 months after last year's funding was allocated, just 29 percent of the money had been spent according to congressional testimony by the Election Assistance Commission, the federal entity tasked with doling out the grants.

"The thing they want is consistency"

Elections officials and security officials have lamented the sporadic attention and funding from Washington.

Although Congress has agreed to support elections infrastructure around the nation, it does so in large, unpredictable chunks as opposed to predictable year-over-year appropriations — which many election officials would prefer.

One reason for that is partisanship: Many Republicans argue that because states bear the responsibility for running their own elections, that means paying their own way as well.

Many Democrats in Congress say they favor a more federal system that would include more regulation of security, protocols and equipment, as well as annual funding from the federal government.

Chris Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within DHS, said at the time of the McConnell compromise earlier this year that it was "a good start" — but he also said local and state officials need a regular flow of support, not occasional lump sums.

"The thing they want is consistency, something they can set their budget clocks to," said Krebs. "If the federal government is going to play in this space, we have to be dependable partners."

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/16/788490509/congress-allocates-425-million-for-election-security-in-new-legislation

NOTABLE

>>7530454

NOTABLE

>>7530473

NOTABLE

Thanks, Anon. I posted this in last bread and it was ignored, as are so many of the important newsworthy posts.

'We are the news now'.

>>7530487

Current baker ignoring key posts. Comped.

>>7530518

>>7530559

No problem, Anon. Glad you posted it this bread. Baker's not putting the important posts in bread. We'll see!