Arrests of families crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in the past five months hit a record, prompting the chief of Customs and Border Protection to say the system is at “the breaking point.”
From October through February, border agents arrested 136,150 people traveling in families at the southern border. Those figures exceeded the record for a full, 12-month period; 107,212 people were arrested during the federal fiscal year that ended in September.
More than 66,400 people were arrested in February, making it the busiest month since President Trump took office and the busiest February since 2008.
The numbers were the sharpest evidence yet that, despite Mr. Trump’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, the flow of migrants is only growing.
“This situation is not sustainable,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said while releasing the numbers Tuesday. “The system is well beyond capacity and remains at the breaking point.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-migrant-families-arrested-at-border-in-five-months-than-any-previous-full-year-11551810657