(NewsNation) — An anonymous Border Patrol agent said in a special edition of “Dan Abrams Live” that cartels “control the border,” not the United States and its agents.

“Everything that we do is a reaction to things that they have planned,” the agent exclusively told NewsNation’s Ali Bradley. “Usually, we’re chasing around pawns while the kings and queens are doing whatever they want.”

The agent asked to remain anonymous to avoid any ramifications from the government.

“I’m terrified to talk to the media because I’m scared of what, you know, the government would do, which obviously would be to lose my job, right? … They don’t want you speaking on their behalf without their permission,” the agent said.

“Our border is by no means secure, and even if it was, we don’t have the manpower to handle the situation that’s happening right now.”

The agent also warned that “no one is coming to protect you” because law enforcement “has been defunded and overwhelmed.”

“Your life better be threatened, or no one will be making you a priority. So no one is coming. And you better self-help and self-protect,” the agent added.

The take is reflective of an agency that’s historically battled morale issues and struggled to recruit agents, both at the state and federal levels. Officers have been forced to spend more time processing asylum requests than patrolling the actual border.

Officials have also said that cartels recruiting U.S. military members to help smuggle migrants is an alarming trend that likely won’t stop anytime soon.

President Joe Biden expanded funding for immigrant detention centers in an effort to improve border enforcement and tame the migrant crisis, but his move has sparked outrage by dozens of humanitarian groups who say he has gone back on his human rights promises. Over 200 organizations, including Human Rights Watch, the National Immigrant Justice Center and Amnesty International, called Biden’s funding  “an utter betrayal of campaign promises” in a scathing open letter last month. 

Over the past seven months, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows the southern border has seen 1.54 million encounters, which remains on par with last year’s record-setting numbers.

The agent said that “there’s no way” to vet the amount of migrants coming into the country.

“It’s not doable. We don’t have the manpower, the technology, and we don’t have the time. This is not manageable, and there has to be a better way. And right now with this administration, there are no repercussions. There’s no policies that are keeping people from coming across. So, they kind of get to do whatever they want and we’re at their mercy.”

New asylum changes on the horizon

The Biden administration is reportedly gearing up to propose new asylum changes for migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The changes could allow the U.S. to speed up the removal of migrants which officials see as a potential national security or public safety risk.

However, any sweeping changes to the nation’s immigration policy would likely be met with pushback from Democrats.

NewsNation’s Tom Dempsey contributed to this report.