Hurricane Patricia Breaks Records, Aftermath Spells Trouble for US-Mexico Border

Hurricane Patricia barreled into southwest Mexico on Friday evening. Measurements show Patricia as the strongest topical cyclone ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. Many fear the storm will incite a wave of immigration similar to the flood of Hondurans and Nicaraguans that streamed into the United States after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. 

Patricia was measured early Friday morning as a category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 200mph. Its central pressure dropped to an unprecedented 879 millibars, breaking a record set by Hurricane Wilma 10 years ago. Patricia made landfall at 6:15pm on Friday with winds reaching 165mph. 

The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical depression Saturday morning. According to local newspapers, the storm caused no casualties and no damage to the country’s infrastructure. “The first reports confirm that the damage was not as severe as it could have been for a hurricane of this magnitude,” said President Enrique Peña Nieto. 

Still, airports were closed and schools, homes, and resorts were evacuated.  Power was cut. According to the NHC, Patricia’s ongoing rains are “likely to produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides,” and are adding to an already hazardous flooding situation in the Lone Star State.

Speaking of Texas, Border Patrol Agent Hector Garza explained to Breitbart, “Clearly, there exists a high likelihood for a coming wave of people at our Southwest border. History shows us that we see an increase in crossings from people devastated by natural disasters.” 

Garza is frustrated with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency in charge of his patrol. “Our agents haven’t received any advisement or notification of the possible increase in aliens that the Border Patrol is likely soon to be overwhelmed by after Hurricane Patricia. I’ve spoken with the agents we represent and we are all very concerned about the likelihood of such a massive wave of aliens.” 

Garza fears the criminal organization Los Zetas will take advantage of the situation. “They will control where aliens can cross and by doing so they will control where Border Patrol applies resources. They will utilize other areas to get narcotics across our border. They will also find a way to exploit the aliens for long-term financial gain. They will make them into indentured servants.” 

Due to the storm’s predicted path, the United States border could see migrants coming from anywhere between the San Diego Sector and the Gulf of Mexico. The influx may be easier to control if the people fleeing the storm realize they have refugee status. 

“We are likely to see more numbers at the ports of entry rather than in rural or remote desert areas,” says Sylvia Longmire of Breitbart Texas. “The individuals fleeing Hurricane Patricia would likely qualify as refugees and thus they would be accorded special status in the U.S. These corridors are areas with a heavy cartel presence and the concern is always that the criminal gangs would take advantage of the increased human flow through their territories. Many of these people might realize that they don’t have to pay a cartel to cross between ports of entry. They could simply show up at a port of entry and ask for refugee status.”