Federal law enforcement working at the U.S.-Mexico border encountered more people who illegally entered the country in the month of March than any month in the past 11 years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Close to 103,500 people were encountered in the month of March. This included just over 92,600 people who illegally crossed the southern border — many of whom go on to claim a credible fear of returning home — and nearly 11,000 people encountered by federal police approaching ports of entry but turned away, including asylum seekers.
The number of people who were taken into custody for attempting to enter between border crossings nearly doubled from approximately 46,000 in January.
“We are currently experiencing a system-wide emergency in our processing and holding facilities. The humanitarian crisis created by a massive influx of family groups and unaccompanied children in recent months has forced CBP to reallocate resources away from law enforcement, trade and travel missions to process and provide care for those in our custody,” CBP Deputy Commissioner Robert E. Perez said in a statement.
CBP said the number of people being turned away at official border crossings has remained consistent in recent months, but the number of families traveling to the U.S. from Central America continues to rise.
In the first six months of the 2019 fiscal year, the total taken into custody at the border with a family member was up 370% from the same period a year ago. Around 60% of all people who illegally crossed in fiscal 2019 were families compared to the 1990s and 2000s when the large majority were single adult men from Mexico.
Nearly 9,000 of those encountered between ports were children traveling without a parent or guardian.
CBP added that the way families and unaccompanied children are arriving is also different compared to previous years.
In 2019, more than 100 groups of 100 or more people have shown up at the border, crossing at spots of the 1,900-mile-long boundary that have little or no fencing.
In fiscal 2017, CBP documented two groups of 100 people or more. The number of group apprehensions jumped to 13 in 2018.
The rate at which those large groups are illegally crossing the border and surrendering to agents to claim asylum has increased in the past three months. The regions of the U.S.-Mexico border with the most mini-caravans crossing are the Rio Grande Valley; the El Paso Sector, which includes all of New Mexico; and the Tucson region of Arizona.
[Read more: Mexican cartels divert border cops with migrant surges and ferry drugs where the coast is clear]
