(NewsNation) — One of the most important issues to Americans on both sides of the aisle has been the ongoing immigration crisis, and NewsNation has been there every step of the way in 2024, highlighting not only the plight of migrants coming to the U.S. but the challenges this posed to Border Patrol and state officials.
Over the last four years, the U.S. has seen the largest immigration surge in history, averaging more than 2 million migrants a year from all around the world in search of the American dream.
2024 began with more controversial moves by GOP Texas Governor Greg Abbott to relieve some of the burden placed on cities in his state by transporting migrants to sanctuary cities like Washington, DC, New York, Chicago and Denver.
The standoff between state and federal reach on immigration continued in the courts, where NewsNation covered several lawsuits between the two. The Justice Department sued Texas, claiming the state’s new immigration law violated the Constitution.
A federal judge blocked that law, but the state would ultimately be the victor and start arresting on the state level for criminal trespass. This also came as the Biden administration was told by the Supreme Court that it could take down razor wire installed by Texas that was meant to keep migrants out.
The situation reached a fever pitch in March when more than 400 migrants tore down razor fencing during a riot on the border town of El Paso. Several Texas National Guard members were injured, and roughly 200 migrants were arrested.
Drones, wire walls, buoys and pepper balls were all utilized by border control to fight illegal entry. But it wasn’t always effective. NewsNation was there to capture exclusive video of smugglers destroying barbed wire fencing to get migrants across the border.
The fight to control the border was made harder by the cartel. Crime exploded as groups of masked gunmen kidnapped migrants, participated in human trafficking and transported guns and drugs across the border, including deadly fentanyl.
NewsNation exclusively uncovered the amazing story of a teen who barely escaped capture by the cartel.
The violence played out in U.S. border towns before moving north. NewsNation closely followed a brutal attack on New York police officers by a group of migrants with a notorious Venezuelan gang.
NewsNation got an exclusive look into the dangers border agents face hunting down migrant smugglers. A ride-along showed how Border Patrol agents are tackling the trafficking of illicit drugs in El Centro, California, which has become a drug smuggling hotspot.
The network closely reported on the murder of a 22-year-old nursing student, Laken Riley, who was killed while jogging on the university’s campus by Jose Ibarra, who entered the U.S. illegally in September 2022.
The team followed the highly emotional trial and eventual conviction of Ibarra, which brought even more attention to the debate over border laws.
NewsNation was there as the “take our border back convoys, also known as ‘God’s Army,’ made their way to the southern border stopping in Virginia, Florida and Louisiana, before arriving at Texas to raise awareness about the crisis on the border.”
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to take a zero-tolerance approach to the border when he comes into office next year, and NewsNation will continue its pledge to cover this ongoing crisis.
