One Texas Jail Tells the Story of America’s Illegal Immigration Crisis

Mexican cartel members are “running scared” and fearful of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, according to the sheriff of Tarrant County, Texas. 

Like many local law enforcement officials, Sheriff Bill Waybourn has witnessed the sharp spike in illegal immigration over the past four years. He welcomed the increased enforcement from the federal government. 

The Tarrant County jail currently holds over 300 illegal aliens suspected of criminal activity. 

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“They represent 22 different countries,” Waybourn said recently at a Heritage Foundation event in Dallas. “Some of them are going to be known terrorists, some of them are going to be known cartel soldiers, and the like.” 

Among the illegal immigrants being held in Tarrant County: 12 for allegedly committing murder and nearly 50 for allegedly committing sexual assault of a child, according to Waybourn, who has served as Tarrant County’s sheriff since 2016. 

When asked how the United States and Mexico can better manage cartel activity, the sheriff said it would require interior strikes in Mexico to neutralize the cartels. 

“We know where they’re at. We can paint those targets, and we can eliminate them as a threat to our country,” Waybourn explained. 

Americans are not only interested in arresting and deporting violent illegal aliens but have also shown support for reducing all illegal immigration and escalating deportations. 

According to a February Pew Research poll, 59% of Americans approve of Trump’s increased efforts to deport illegal immigrants, including 35% who strongly approve. A majority (58%) also approve sending more U.S. troops to the border. 

Mike Howell, executive director of the Oversight Project, said the Trump administration is making headway to secure the southern border despite the challenges associated with deporting illegal aliens. 

“It is very difficult to transition an entire system that was pointed at getting people into the country and to turn it around overnight to get them out,” Howell said. 

Howell emphasized that law enforcement agencies do not currently have enough facilities, funding, technology, or cooperation to remove illegal aliens from the United States. 

Despite the challenge, Howell praised Trump’s efforts and said he’s confident the administration will “rise to the challenge” and “get it done.” 

Citing the broken windows theory, Howell stressed the importance of preventing big crimes by arresting individuals for small crimes, such as entering the country illegally, working without authorization, or committing identity theft. 

“I want to get rid of them before they become murderers,” Howell said. “It is a stupid immigration policy to let people in, and then you don’t have to leave until you kill, rape, or rob somebody.” 

In October 2024, the House Committee on Homeland Security released a fact sheet stating that between fiscal years 2021-2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported over 10.8 million encounters with illegal immigrants nationwide. In contrast, CBP recorded around 3 million encounters nationwide between fiscal years 2017-2020.