The border battle is shifting, and former ICE Special Agent Victor Avila is at the forefront of exposing the reality behind the headlines. Joining Joe Pags on The Joe Pags Show, Avila pulled back the curtain on how cartels are scrambling to adapt under the Trump administration’s tough new policies.
While the mainstream media pushes a narrative of “family separation” and injustice, Avila set the record straight. He detailed how the media ignores critical facts, like how many of those being deported are convicted criminals or repeat offenders. “The children were crying ‘cause they took—guess who they took?—the criminal illegal alien father,” Avila explained. “The mainstream media didn’t mention why he was getting picked up—because he was a prior deport and an aggravated felon.”
With DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and former ICE Director Tom Homan now leading the charge, the administration is making major moves. One of the biggest changes? If ICE apprehends a criminal illegal alien, any undocumented person standing nearby is also detained—something Avila says didn’t happen under the previous administration. “That’s the big change that didn’t happen under the Biden administration,” he noted.
Avila also addressed the growing fear tactics being spread by the left. False rumors of ICE stopping school buses or raiding schools have caused panic in immigrant communities, but as Avila pointed out, law enforcement is only targeting criminals—not everyday citizens. “The real fear-mongering is coming from the left,” he said.
The conversation turned to Mexico’s deep-seated corruption and the overwhelming control cartels have on the government. “It used to be that the politicians ordered the cartels around,” Avila revealed. “That’s what I think has changed—the cartels now controlling and running a parallel government.”
One of the most significant shifts? The Trump administration’s decision to officially designate cartels as terrorist organizations. This classification gives law enforcement more tools to go after cartel members and their financial networks both in Mexico and within the U.S. “Now these are terrorist organizations,” Avila said. “You are now financing a terrorist organization—you are now interacting with a terrorist organization.”
With border policies tightening and cartel operations under pressure, Avila warned that smugglers are now shifting tactics. Instead of mass crossings, they’re resorting to stash houses and smuggling routes in states like Arizona and California. “The smuggling is not going to end,” he cautioned. “But Texas is basically fortified.”
Avila’s message was clear: The border battle isn’t just about immigration—it’s about national security, law enforcement, and restoring order. With the Trump administration cracking down, the cartels and their allies are feeling the pressure like never before.