During an interview on “NewsNation Live with Marni Hughes,” Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland revealed that he has been targeted by cartel members through social media platforms. Sheriff Cleveland shared that these individuals regularly monitor his Facebook account, where he frequently posts updates about the department’s activities along the border.
He expressed his concern over receiving messages containing offensive and derogatory language, along with warnings that the cartel members were closely observing him and his partner. When asked by host Marni Hughes about the most alarming message he had received, Sheriff Cleveland discussed the gravity of the situation.
“I don’t put a whole lot of worry, you know, I’m pretty secure in my faith,” Cleveland stated. “And I’ve taken an oath on three different occasions – first in the United States military, then as a U.S. Border Patrol agent, [and] now a sheriff. So I’m going to do what’s right for our citizens, for our nation. Regardless of what’s thrown at us, you just gotta chalk that up in the back of your mind and continue to do what you do.”
Cleveland mentioned that despite not collaborating with neighboring departments, he emphasized that during his 26-year tenure as a Border Patrol agent, there were instances where cartel members would target agents, considering it a common occurrence in the field. Hughes inquired further if these threats had influenced his social media activity.
“You know it has. I always kinda despised social media, but when I took over as sheriff, primarily, I had to show that we had a problem here in Terrell County. Secondly, I wanted to highlight the good work that goes on by the United States Border Patrol agents here in Terrell County and along the U.S.-Mexico border. Thirdly, how we all work together, here at the sheriff’s office with the state and with our border patrol agents,” Cleveland stated.
“But initially I used to blackout faces of the illegals we caught and then I slowly quit doing that because so many people were reaching out about their family members or ones that had been lost or we’re missing,” he said. “So even though there are some disadvantages of there’s, also some advantages and actually gives people a little peace of mind.”
According to NewsNation, cartel members have been utilizing social media platforms not only for issuing threats against officials but also to monitor the status of their shipments passing through the U.S. without detection. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported a significant surge in illegal border crossings along the southern border in recent years. In December 2023, CBP documented the highest monthly number of migrant encounters ever recorded, with a total of 302,034 encounters at various points along the U.S.-Mexico border.
