After holiday lull, Central American family migration returns to record levels, new figures show
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
U.S. border officials said Friday they saw an abrupt drop-off in illegal crossings during the holiday season, but the number of Central Americans arriving in family groups has returned to record levels since then.
The lull in unauthorized crossings suggests some Central American migrants - and the smuggling organizations that deliver them to the border - may have taken a break or deferred the journey north until after the holidays.
By the middle of January, the number of families members arriving jumped again, reaching as high as 1,400 per day, and smuggling organizations once more began delivering groups of 300 or more parents and children to remote border crossings in Arizona and New Mexico.
A CBP official told reporters Friday that about 75 percent of the family members detained in January arrived during the second half of the month. Family groups accounted for 59 percent of all border apprehensions, and although the total number of parents and children taken into custody - 24,116 - declined slightly from December, "that still represents one of the highest totals we have on record," one official said.
Overall, CBP carried out 58,207 arrests and detentions in January, down 4 percent over the previous month, the latest figures show.
President Donald Trump last spring ordered a "zero tolerance" prosecution push at the border that led to the separation of at least 2,500 families before he halted the measures amid a torrent of criticism. Since then, the number of parents arriving with children has accounted for an ever-growing share of border arrests, as the family groups arrive seeking to turn themselves in to U.S. agents and request asylum or some form of humanitarian protection.
The families are typically processed and released from federal custody after a few days, with a hearing in immigration court that may be months or years away. Critics deride this model as "catch and release," and say it is adding to a legal backlog that has pushed U.S. immigration courts to the brink of collapse.
The number of "family unit" members taken into custody is up 290 percent during the first four months of the government's 2019 fiscal year, compared with the same period last year.
While migration trends have historically followed seasonal patterns, the holiday lull documented last month was especially pronounced.
Homeland Security officials say they are studying intelligence data to better understand why arrest numbers fell so sharply. The arrival of large groups of Central American families is once more placing strains on Border Patrol stations, officials said Friday.
On Thursday a group of 325 parents and children crossed the border illegally west of Lukeville, Arizona, according to CBP officials in the agency's Tucson sector.
The crowd was first spotted by one of the agency's remote cameras, and a CBP team arrived by helicopter to find a large group of people making a bonfire in freezing temperatures.
It was the latest in a series of mass border-crossings in isolated areas with few agents and minimal fencing. According to CBP, "the group illegally entered the country through an area where there is only a vehicle barrier designed to prevent crossings."
The migrants told CBP officials that buses and trucks had dropped them off along a desert highway throughout the night, and the 325 crossed the border together at 8 a.m. to wait for Border Patrol agents to pick them up.
The CBP officials, who insisted on anonymity to share the data with reporters, said narcotics traffickers use these large groups as a diversion to move drugs into the United States while agents are busy processing families with children.
Trump ordered 3,750 additional military personnel to the border this week. Typically, the troops do not interact with migrants, but CBP officials said service members have provided some transportation and medical support to assist busy border agents.
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On Thursday a group of 325 parents and children crossed the border illegally west of Lukeville, Arizona, according to CBP officials in the agency's Tucson sector.
The crowd was first spotted by one of the agency's remote cameras, and a CBP team arrived by helicopter to find a large group of people making a bonfire in freezing temperatures.
It was the latest in a series of mass border-crossings in isolated areas with few agents and minimal fencing. According to CBP, "the group illegally entered the country through an area where there is only a vehicle barrier designed to prevent crossings."
The migrants told CBP officials that buses and trucks had dropped them off along a desert highway throughout the night, and the 325 crossed the border together at 8 a.m. to wait for Border Patrol agents to pick them up.
The CBP officials, who insisted on anonymity to share the data with reporters, said narcotics traffickers use these large groups as a diversion to move drugs into the United States while agents are busy processing families with children.
1,400 A DAY - yeah, there's no problem - and that's only the ones who have been caught. No mention of the other 1,400 - 2,000 that are getting through while the BP is busy trying to "take care" of each Illegal Alien.
Yeah - there's no problem.
Yep. It's that there manufactured crisis them progressive liberal Deomcrats are talking about!
Per Gallup, 5 million plan on immigrating to the United States this year.
herds of feral cats are overrunning the border
Anonymous sources = fake news, right? Isn't that a conservative mantra against the 'MSM'?
The truth is that CBP can't keep agents.
Attrition rates exceed hiring rates, even with a $10K cash bonus, $52K starting salary and estimated $90K salary after 5 years.
Trumps border budget for 2017 was 1.6 billion and they have only spent 6%, mostly on prototypes and 14 miles of the 124 miles approved and funded.
They spent over $300,000.00 hiring an outside agency to hire new agents because they could not attract new agents through regular channels.
No one wants to live on the border because most of it is still a frontier.
They need to establish a line of self contained forts/ bases ( like any Army base ) at regular intervals to give CBP people a decent place to live and work without worrying about housing values
and every other quality of life issue.
There is no over night fix.
Congress needs to do something bold like striking down posse comitatus along the borders.
Fake news until the numbers released by the government back it up; in which case the left will scream Trump is cooking the books to make things seem worse than they are.
Couldn't be that outside of ICE agents they are some of the most reviled people by the the left? Being constantly harassed for the job they do couldn't have anything to do with the turnover rate?/S
As you said it takes time. Walls/fences just don't spring up over night. The cities run by the left on the border are fighting against them tooth and nail.
Again, the stigma of doing a very hard job; and being reviled by the left for doing it.
But the border is safe and secure./S
The left will scream the border patrol is being militarized. They are fighting walls/fences, what makes you think they will except forts?
That we can agree on. The fix should have started long ago; but past administrations and congress chose to kick the can down the road.
Never happen, the radical left in congress wants to do away with homeland security including the border patrol and ICE. Why would they ever allow the border patrol to conscript the military to help them out?
CBP is not ICE
.
He didn't say they were.
the left, the left, the radical left... /s
lived 15 miles from the border in Tubac during the height of the "problem".
Personally never had a problem.
As I've said before, Tubac ( 15 miles north of Nogales) doesn't even have a police department, depends on Tuscon, 40 miles to the north.
CBP is not reviled by anyone I know.
ICE is a different matter.
More canned rhetoric, I thought better of you.
How many troops has the President sent to the border? Has there been any protests, violent riots?
3000 stayed from the last round, plus a new 3500 recently announced.
Sounds like a slow buildup...no objections or grandstanding by Congress.
How long ago was that you lived there? Because it sure is not the case lately. I live 6 blocks from the border fence in Douglas and we certainly have our share of problems.
You have a fence and still have problems?
To answer your question Ed, early and late 90's, same house, followed by tours in Florida, the Carolina's, MD and NJ.
Maybe AZ Rt 19 just isn't a preferred route?
Guess where I saw the most suspected illegals? NY, PA & NJ. Just my gut sense.
They walk or bicycle to work. No cars, no insurance no licenses. Kids at home during the school year.
.
My interactions were probably limited to pizzerias and restaurants.
Here in Texas, I suspect the guys who dug under my house to locate a broken hot water pipe weren't legal, but maybe I am wrong.
The contractor hired them, for the insurance company, so why would I even wonder?
Unemployment is very low. Very, very, very low with many of those working people working more than one job, so I hear.
You have uninterrupted wall/bollard/pedestrian fence from the Miller/ Colorado National Monument in the west to well beyond the Municipal Airport in the East where the dumb vehicle barriers start.
What would you like to see changed to eliminate your problems?
Need proof.
No Homeland Security, no Border Patrol, and no ICE.
Sorry, you will have to take Wiki as backup.
As not a peep out of Democrats about Trump sending troops to the US border, where have you been?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/where-was-the-liberal-outrage-when-democratic-presidents-sent-troops-to-the-border/2018/11/06/9323d89e-e1e7-11e8-8f5f-a55347f48762_story.html?utm_term=.f774436217c4
So much for the Democrats in Congress remaining silent.
But hey, you know Trump.
Fox news?
Wiki???? Our resident conservative fact checker from NJ does not accept Wiki, why should anyone else?
Now I am laughing, sorry.
Sorry to make you make such an effort, really....I didn't expect an answer.
Bobby Kennedy himself could be raised from the dead
and neither him
or AOC can or will speak for me.
See my comments from 5 hours ago and try to keep up.
Well make up your mind.......first you say it's just the left, now magically it's bipartisan?
Regardless.
I spoke for myself.
Suspend Posse Commitatus and let the military handle the borders.
It's really that simple.
.
( The average E3 makes 28k per year plus housing & Bas , maybe 39K tops.
A beginning CBP office gets a 10K signing bonus and starting salary of 52K, so do you think the government is at odds with itself? )
.
It's been proven to be a stupid rule by not allowing US troops to carry within CONUS by the Fort Hood massacre/incident.
The military work force would accept orders and carry them out, almost without question.
The budgets can be intermixed to build barricades or man forts, outposts,
better than any civilian Law Enforcement Agency. ( many will transition out of the military into CBP, SS, FBI etc, it already happens...)
No one on this site really cares how loudly the left will cry or if it's "not Constitutional"
In the end, though.
They will come.
They will more and more likely present themselves legally at legitimate Port of Entry for asylum. ( there are 48 across the southern border )
But that, apparently is a different can of worms for some to consider.
'
All of those international agreements regarding refugees we will have to either adhere to
or ignore.
How 'bout showing some facts to support your comments?
Attrition rates = retirement. Folks aren't quitting - they're retiring.
Trumps hasn't spent - quite right - the President doesn't spend the money - the agencies do - when they have time and all else planned and in place.
Ranches over 10,000 acres equal frontier. Guess how many ranches on the border exceed 10,000 acres -
06 Ranch
LOCATION Brewster and Jeff Davis counties
ACRES 130,000
Bass Family Ranches
LOCATION Aransas, Atascosa, Brooks, Hidalgo, Johnson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Parker, Red River, and Tarrant counties
ACRES 150,000 (est.)
Yturria Family Ranches
LOCATION Cameron County
ACRES 165,000
Pitchfork Ranch
LOCATION Dickens and King counties
ACRES 170,000
McCoy Ranches
LOCATION Jeff Davis, Pecos, and Reeves counties
ACRES 170,000
King Ranch
LOCATION Brooks, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy counties
ACRES 825,000
Briscoe Ranches
LOCATION Brewster, Culberson, Dimmit, La Salle, Maverick, McMullen, Uvalde, Webb, and Zavala counties
ACRES 640,000
Jones Family Ranches
LOCATION Brooks, Jim Hogg, and Starr counties
ACRES 380,000
6666 Ranch
LOCATION King County
ACRES 350,000
East Family Ranches
LOCATION Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Kleberg, Starr, and Willacy counties
ACRES 340,000
and there are 50 more ranches, just in Texas, that exceed 50,000 acres. Yup - that's what makes up a frontier.
so those ranchers should supply their own fences and security
because Texas allowed border property ownership based on land grants from Mexico and Texas prior to being readmitted to the Union in 1873?
Make sense?
Good post 1st. That is just Texas. Does not even include border ranches in New Mexico and Arizona.
The United States of America, by right of admitting CA, AZ and NM into the Union,
owns a 60 foot easement from the Pacific to the Texas border near El Paso.
They can build whatever they like, whenever they like, when have the funds to do so. No one can stop them.
DHS was authorized 1.6 billion in 2017 to build 124 new miles of "wall/fence" and replacement of vehicle barrier by pedestrian fence.
Where is it?
To date they have built 14 new miles.
So I guess if it's going to take 50 years to build 700 more miles
we ought to have a different back up plan
other than yell, "the left, the left, the radical left". ( not you Ed)
check this out to see where we need what...
would they be free to use methods they choose and feel would be effective?
I assume not.
However on that interactive map, they do recognize effective private fencing in green. there is a large section in NM
It is a pedestrian fence.
Interestingly it is not on the Texas border but is in Western NM.
In 2017 CBP lost 400 agents .