Assaults against U.S. Border Patrol agents have nearly doubled in 2017, Carla Provost, acting chief of the agency told Congress, according to The Washington Times.
More than 550 assaults have been reported by agents through June 1, compared to 300 assaults at the same time last year, Provost said.
"She recounted the statistics as a warning during testimony on gang activity among the illegal immigrant population," reported Stephen Dinan of the Times. "She didn't speculate on what might be spurring the rise in assaults, but it comes as the immigration debate in the U.S. — and Mexico — heats up under President [Donald] Trump."
Agents are often the targets of large boulders being tossed over from the Mexican side of the border, according to the Times.
A representative of the Justice Department and two officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement were scheduled to join Provost in giving testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Politico reported.
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