And the overall trend for 2019 is eye-popping, with every month seeing higher numbers of apprehensions than the month before.
CBP’s latest data, which can be found in the chart below, shows 109,144 illegal immigrants were apprehended on the southern border in the month of April. That’s higher than March, which at the time had also reached a 12-year high with 103,719 apprehensions.
These figures do not include the total number of illegal border crossings every month, as not every individual, family, or group is apprehended.
Earlier this week, CBP released a statement about the large influx of illegal border crossings witnessed this weekend in the Rio Grande Valley.
“U.S. Border Patrol agents continue to process and receive unprecedented numbers of illegal aliens entering the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector. On Saturday, agents from Brownsville to Roma apprehended over 2,400 illegal aliens, the majority of which consist of family units and unaccompanied children who readily turn themselves in to agents.”
Of the five Border Patrol sectors in Texas (Big Bend, Del Rio, El Paso, Laredo, Rio Grande), three have already had significant increases in the number of unaccompanied child apprehensions when compared to reports from the 2018 fiscal year.
- Big Bend Sector has a 43% decrease so far (612 in FY18 to 348 in FY19)
- Del Rio Sector has a 124% increase so far (587 in FY18 to 1,316 in FY19)
- El Paso Sector has a 333% increase so far (1,746 in FY18 to 7,565 in FY19)
- Laredo Sector has a 3% decrease so far (1,379 in FY18 to 1,337 in FY19)
- Rio Grande Sector has a 56% increase so far (9,813 in FY18 to 15,310 FY19)
There are still five more months left in the 2019 fiscal year.
The CBP press release went on to say, “Over the past week, more than 10,000 illegal aliens were apprehended, making it one of the highest weekly total ever experienced in this sector. Currently, stations and processing centers are holding more than 7,000 illegal aliens in custody. At the current rate, the RGV Sector is expected to surpass the mass migration influx experienced in 2014.”
On Saturday, the Border Patrol opened a temporary facility in Donna, Texas to deal with the mass influx they have seen throughout the year.
The President’s most recent budget proposal calls for $8.6 billion in border wall funding for 2020. Congressional Democrats have thus far resisted appropriating the funds requested by the White House.
For the full statement from Customs and Border Protection, see the link here.
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