Border Patrol Finally Allowed to Do Its Job in Apprehension of PA Killer - Biden Will Hate It
Pennsylvanians woke up to the welcome news Wednesday morning that escaped killer Danelo Cavalcante was in custody.
An elite team from the Border Patrol Tactical Unit — known as BORTAC — played a central role in apprehending the illegal immigrant.
On Aug. 31, Cavalcante, a 34-year-old Brazilian national in the United States illegally, broke out of jail in Chester County, outside Philadelphia, where he was being held before being transferred to a state prison to serve a life sentence for fatally stabbing an ex-girlfriend in 2021.
Cavalcante was also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil.
The stakes definitely went up in the nearly two-week manhunt when Cavalcante was able to steal a .22 caliber rifle on Monday night, as The Washington Post reported.
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters Wednesday that members of BORTAC and the state police Special Emergency Response Team took Cavalcante into custody.
Bivens recounted how the capture went down, starting with when a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration aircraft picked up a heat signal about 1 a.m. Wednesday.
“Tactical teams began to converge on that location where the heat source was moving,” Bivens said.
Tactical teams on the ground zeroed in on Danelo Cavalcante after an aircraft picked up a heat signal in the search perimeter. He tried to escape by crawling through thick underbrush with a rifle.
“BORTAC had a dog with them, they released the dog… the dog subdued him.” pic.twitter.com/HorJVZzOnQ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 13, 2023
A weather system with lightning then came into the area, forcing the aircraft tracking Cavalcante away from the location.
However, “Shortly after 8 a.m., tactical teams converged on the area where the heat source was. They were able to move in very quietly. They had the element of surprise,” Bivens said.
“Cavalcante did not realize he was surrounded until that had occurred,” Bivens continued. “He began to crawl through thick underbrush, taking his rifle with him as he went.”
BREAKING: Pennsylvania State Police say escaped fugitive Cavalcante attempted to flee as officers moved in to capture him.
“BORTAC had a dog with them, they released the dog… the dog subdued him.” https://t.co/fsLCJ6HrMM pic.twitter.com/3ROTEgkIhU
— ABC News (@ABC) September 13, 2023
“One of the Customs and Border Patrol teams, BORTAC, had a dog with them. They released the dog. Some of our PSP SERT members were also there. Had him surrounded. The dog subdued him and team members from both of those teams immediately moved in,” Bivens said.
Cavalcante continued to resist, but was forcibly taken into custody.
Good heckin’ boi!
Police K9 , BORTAC, and PSP Tactical teams apprehend #danelocavalante pic.twitter.com/nCl0ZN4mMM
— PhillyCrimeUpdate (@PhillyCrimeUpd) September 13, 2023
The Daily Caller noted that a BORTAC team was responsible for bringing the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting to an end in May 2022 after local law enforcement notoriously failed to neutralize the killer.
BORTAC also nabbed a Mexican man in May of this year who had allegedly killed five in Cleveland, Texas.
So BORTAC’s role in the Cavalcante capture is just the latest incident that demonstrates how effective the Border Patrol can be when it’s allowed to do its job. That means it also demonstrates the failure of President Joe Biden to secure the southern border.
The Biden administration’s open border policies, leading to record illegal border crossings have no doubt been a source of endless frustration for the Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection.
Under Biden, nearly 6 million migrants have been apprehended at the border as of July of this year, according to CBP data.
This fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, the number apprehended will exceed 2 million after over 2.3 million last year.
By comparison under former President Donald Trump, the worst year was FY 2019 with about 977,500 apprehensions, while in the other three Trump years, the number hovered at about 500,000.
Convicted Killer Captured by USBP!
BORTAC Operators located and arrested him without further incident in a heavily wooded area in Chester County, PA, ending a 2-week long manhunt. Great work on this coordinated effort with multiple agencies involved! pic.twitter.com/7WSnKzG6Pw
— Chief Jason Owens (@USBPChief) September 13, 2023
Biden made his position clear about the men and women responsible for American border security back in September 2021, when Border Patrol agents were falsely accused of whipping migrants trying to cross illegally into the country.
Biden joined in the false accusations, declaring that “those people will pay.”
So rather than having his men’s backs, Biden threw them under the bus. The right response should have been to simply say there would be an investigation and if there was any wrongdoing, those responsible would be disciplined.
Last summer, then-CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus reported that a Department of Homeland Security investigation found “no evidence” that anyone, including migrants, was struck by the reins “intentionally or otherwise,” according to Fox News.
Danelo Cavalcante, the Brazilian national that killed his girlfriend and escaped custody, has been captured by the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC). We are forever grateful for our men and women in uniform that brought this monster to justice. pic.twitter.com/erzhhhYW80
— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores_TX) September 13, 2023
Though Border Patrol agents have not received the respect and support they should under Biden, they can take great pride in a job well done in capturing Cavalcante.
They can also expect no thanks from the Biden White House.
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