"In my experience, we have seen increases when there are no consequences," Ortiz said in July during a deposition in connection to a lawsuit Florida's Attorney General filed against the Homeland Security Department and other federal border agencies.
Ortiz agreed that the US southern border is currently in a crisis and that an unprecedented number of migrants are illegally entering the United States.
He also agreed that the number of migrants illegally entering the United States increased under President Joe Biden.
Well over 2 million migrants have entered the United States illegally via the US southern border since October, breaking last year's record set under the Biden administration's watch. The influx has severely strained local, state and federal resources trying to handle the situation.