Sheriff Thaddeus C. Cleveland of Terrell County told the Lone Star Standar that anyone or anything crossing the southern border illegally has "the blessing of the cartels."
"Activity the last three years, like activity along the entire U.S./Mexico Border have reached unprecedented levels," said Sheriff Cleveland. "Fiscal year 2022, was the highest watermark for this area which totaled a 417% increase in illegal alien apprehensions and a 467% increase in gotaways. Everything that crosses the border illegally is done so with the blessing of the cartels. It's time we take back control of the U.S./Mexico Border. Border Security is National Security."
According to Cleveland, Terrell County is the "busiest county" between Del Rio and El Paso, 600 miles of the Texas-Mexico border.
Sheriff Thad Cleveland, Terrell County, TX
| Institute for Defense and Government Management
In February 2023, the New York Post reported that Terrell County saw a 540% increase in arrests of illegal migrants. The county has approximately 800 residents. "Cartel operatives continue to operate and increase their smuggling routes," Cleveland told the New York Post. Cartel members and their associates smuggle migrants through dangerous terrain across a 91-mile stretch of the border. There were 8,000 "gotaways," migrants that the U.S. Border Patrol was not able to catch, in 2022 in Terrell County.
Former Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin of the Tucson Sector testified at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in December 2023. He said: "Now nobody crosses without paying the cartels...the cartels determine when people cross...how many people cross at a time...It’s all controlled by them."
Other border patrol chiefs who testified at the hearing noted how migrants who attempt to cross without permission face consequences. The cartels strategically use diversion tactics and overwhelm Border Patrol resources by orchestrating large group crossings while also exploiting vulnerable individuals. Reports indicate that cartel involvement extends beyond smuggling, with incidents of trafficking, assaults, and fatalities along the border.
According to a study conducted by the Latin American Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, an estimated 60% of migrant children are either captives of cartels or involved in human trafficking or child pornography.
Sheriff Thaddeus C. Cleveland was appointed Sheriff of Terrell County in 2022 and later elected into the position, according to the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA). He previously served for 26 years as a U.S. Border Patrol official and as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Advisor to U.S. Army North (ARNORTH) in support of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) assistance to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Humanitarian Crisis at the Southwest Border with Mexico. He is a member of Coalition Against Cartels, a national effort to expose the illegal operations of cartels in U.S. communities.
