Retired Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem says America "has a border security problem" as pressure mounts on President Biden to tackle the issue ahead of the November election.
The Biden administration has faced an unprecedented spike in migrant crossings during his tenure, with record numbers making their way across the US-Mexico border.
The southern border crisis is the most likely issue to play a key role in determining who will be the next US President, as a rematch between Biden and Donald Trump looms closer.
Trump has been extremely vocal on the issue and has committed to a radical plan to deport millions, using an enhanced "ideological screening" system to eliminate those from countries he dislikes.
Chris Clem says the US has a 'border security problem'
Reuters / GBN America
Following his Super Tuesday victory, Trump accused President Biden of having "brought America to its knees".
Trump told the crowd that Biden the "worst President in the history of our country" and claimed inflation was "destroying the middle class".
In a discussion with GBN America, former Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem said that the US-Mexico border has "always been dynamic and fluid" and in his 27-and-a-half years serving as a Border Patrol agent and Chief in Yuma, he saw an "evolution" of border security.
Speaking to GBN America host Jacob Rees-Mogg, Clem admitted that the issue has now become a "world problem" and is not solely an issue across the United States.
Donald Trump has unveiled his plans to tackle migrant crossings
Reuters
Clem explained: "The biggest thing that I think is important is it's a world problem."
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Clem continued: "Initially when I first got on board with the Border Patrol in the late 90s, we were dealing a lot of single adult Mexican men that were really coming to look for work, mainly agriculture work and and labour work.
"We started seeing an evolution in the early 2000s of a lot of Central American men, and then a lot of family units in the 2010s. And then over the last few years, it has really been a world problem."
Discussing the impact of the changing border crossings over the last two decades, Clem added: "In my section of Southwestern Arizona and Southeastern California, 126 linear border miles, we had over 116 different countries and rarely did Mexico or Central America make my top 10 on a weekly basis.
"So it became a world phenomenon, and it has impacted our border security operations."
Chief Chris Clem says the US needs to address the migrant issue
GBN America
When asked by Rees-Mogg about the severity of the issue ahead of the US election, Clem claimed it is "one of the biggest keys and takeaways" when addressing the current situation in the United States.
Clem told GBN America: "We have a border security problem and we need to secure our border, but also we have an immigration issue that we need to address.
"And unfortunately, the two often get conflated. And that causes the political quagmire that we're in and why we have trouble getting some of the results I think we need."