CBP Border Patrol agents rescue migrants after failed human smuggling attempt in El Paso, Texas. These photos represent an incident in March 2010 involving a human smuggling attempt of 10 undocumented persons from Mexico. The maze of storm drainage tunnels is particularly dangerous during the monsoon season in south El Paso when migrants become trapped underground. Photographer: Humberto Gonzales
Anna Giaritelli explains at The Washington Examiner the vast number of illegal immigrants stopped by law enforcement in the 2019 fiscal year. She writes:
Just under 980,000 people were encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal 2019, which ran from Oct. 1, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2019, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which handles all border and trade affairs. A total 521,090 people were encountered along the southern border in fiscal 2018.
Encounters, which include contact with those who illegally crossed and those who were turned away for lack of documentation at ports of entry, are an indicator of how many people tried to illegally cross into the country.
“This is a staggering 88% higher than the number of enforcement actions in 2018,” acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said during a press conference at the White House Tuesday morning. “These numbers are numbers that no immigration system in the world is designed to handle, including ours.”
Morgan said officials believe another 150,000 people eluded being caught while crossing in fiscal 2019.
Read more here.
