Despite repeated claims from the Trump administration that the southern border is closed and secure, Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland says conditions on the ground in Far West Texas tell a very different story—and he is openly frustrated by the disconnect.
Cleveland, who oversees 91 miles of the U.S.–Mexico border in one of the most remote and hostile regions of Texas, told the Daily Mail this week that illegal crossings in his county are increasing, directly contradicting White House assertions made since April that border enforcement has been largely resolved.
“We have seen an increase since Trump first took over,” Cleveland told the outlet, describing renewed activity in the rugged desert terrain surrounding Sanderson, roughly two hours southeast of Marfa.
The comments place Cleveland—himself a retired U.S. Border Patrol agent—at odds with the Trump administration’s messaging. In April, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared that “America’s borders are now secure because of President Trump,” citing a sharp nationwide drop in crossings compared to the Biden years.
While Cleveland acknowledged that overall encounters are down dramatically from previous years, he emphasized that Terrell County remains a glaring exception.
In 2025, the Sanderson region recorded 573 “gotaways”—migrants U.S. authorities know crossed the border but were not apprehended. The sheriff said those numbers undermine claims that the border is fully under control.
“It’s better than it was, but it isn’t secured,” Cleveland said. “We know exactly how many people we catch. We don’t know exactly how many gotaways or the unknown. People wouldn’t keep coming if they weren’t making it in.”
Remote Border, Rising Risk
Terrell County includes some of the most unforgiving border terrain in the country. Migrants crossing this area must traverse the Rio Grande—where dozens drown each year—then climb steep, 200-foot cliffs and hike for days through desert heat to reach the nearest highway, where smugglers wait.
Cleveland told the Daily Mail that migrants are often instructed to wear camouflage to blend into the landscape, and those who are injured or fall behind are frequently abandoned by smugglers.
According to migrants interviewed by law enforcement, Mexican nationals typically pay smugglers between $7,500 and $10,000, while migrants from Guatemala may pay as much as $15,000 to be moved through the region.
Numbers Dropped, Then Climbed Again
After Trump returned to office in January, Border Patrol arrests in the Sanderson area initially declined—from 65 in January to 16 by March—but then rose again to 89 in April. In recent months, Cleveland said deputies and federal agents have intercepted roughly 40 crossers per month, with expectations that numbers will rise again as spring approaches.
Cleveland expressed particular frustration that Border Patrol resources are being redirected away from the border to assist with immigration enforcement in distant cities.
“Interior immigration enforcement is useless if you can’t secure the southern border,” he said. “Interior enforcement isn’t successful if you pull Border Patrol agents from the border to assist and people make it through the southern border.”
A Big Bend Reality Check
While national statistics may support the administration’s claims of progress, Cleveland’s remarks highlight how border enforcement can look very different in remote regions like Far West Texas—where vast distances, harsh terrain, and limited manpower create persistent vulnerabilities.
“What’s happening with immigration operations,” Cleveland told the Daily Mail, “is that we are deploying our resources politically rather than tactically.”
For communities across the Big Bend, Cleveland’s comments underscore a recurring theme: federal talking points don’t always match local realities on the ground.
