Border Patrol admits it’s responsible for open floodgates in Arizona border wall

The US Border Patrol has now admitted it’s responsible for the decision to leave giant flood gates in the border wall wide open — giving thousands of illegal immigrants an easy opportunity to stream into Arizona.

After some initial finger-pointing at other federal agencies, the agency took ownership for making the call.

“USBP makes the final decision on opening gates based on operational conditions and forecasted weather,” the agency said a statement to The Post.

Cartels are exploiting the situation, dropping off migrants by the busload so they can casually walk into the US through the open doors and had themselves over to border agents, as The Post witnessed firsthand west of remote Lukeville, Arizona at the weekend.

Last Friday Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released their latest operational figures showing the border sector at Tuscon, which includes the area with the open floodgates, has become the busiest in the country with border patrol ecountering 42,561 people trying to cross legally and illegally into the country in July.

A coupel of weeks earlier Border Patrol agents, acting on superiors’ orders, welded some 114 gates open to stop anyone from closing them — which the agents had repeatedly been doing in a bid to stop people from being able to cross the border.

When the Post first reached out to CBP, the parent agency of the Border Patrol, we were directed to other federal agencies who were allegedly involved in making the decision to leave the border doors open.

However, when The Post reached the other agencies, they said it had nothing to do with them.

“CBP operates and maintains the gates,” US International Boundary and Water Commission Spokesman Frank Fisher said, after his agency was initially earmarked as potentially being behind the blunder.

CBP later provided background, explaining the storm gates are normally kept shut, but are opened during the annual monsoon season, which Arizona is currently experiencing, to prevent the border wall from being damaged.

“High-water flow combined with excessive sediment and debris build-up can stress or comprise the design integrity of the barrier,” the department said.

“Once the rain or flood event is over and the debris and sediment are removed, the gates can be closed and secured.”

If the doors are oipen they also allow a certain variety of antelope to wander between the US and Mexico feely as part of their natural habitat.

About 1,400 migrants a day from as far away as China and Egypt as well as Central and South American countries are walking through the open gates, then looking for a Border Patrol agent to surrender to and claim asylum.

“Those gate should never be open,” fumed Brandon Judd, the president of the national Border Patrol union.

“In my opinion and in Border Patrol agent’s opinion, those gates should never come open.”

Judd believes the agency higher-ups who made the decision should be “hammered” for not only allowing illegal immigrants in, but endangering agents’ lives.

Judd previously said the huge influx through the gates is a sign cartels are exploiting them and bringing the people to the border.

He said: “Because the cartels are constantly surveilling what we do, the moment something gets left open, it gets exploited.

“In this particular case, it exploded almost immediately, which shows you how adept the criminal cartels are at exploiting any weakness at any time that we show them.”

“Those gates should never open up. What would be the reason for it? Why, would you do it?”

Neither the Border Patrol or CBP replied to our request for comment, asking whether the agency had any plans to close the border gates.