U.S. Apprehended Record Number of Migrant Families At Southwest Border

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October 23rd, 2018

Thousands of Honduran migrants and families walk towards the southern Mexico border from Guatemala. Many say they are headed to the U.S. The White House said on Tuesday that a record number of migrant families have arrived at the Southwest border over the last year.

Oliver de Roos / AP

The White House says it’s seen a “record-shattering surge” of migrant families at the Southwest border in the past year — and wasted no time trying to blame those rising numbers on what it calls “loopholes” in U.S immigration law.

More than 161,000 migrant family members were apprehended or found inadmissible at the Southwest border in FY 2018, which ended last month. That’s according to figures released today by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The number of family units apprehended by immigration agents has been rising steadily since the summer, to a record total of more than 20,000 in September. That’s despite the Trump administration’s policy, which it’s since abandoned, of separating migrant families at the border to deter illegal immigration.

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