U.S. Border Patrol agents in the El Paso sector captured more than 2,200 migrants crossing into the U.S. on Memorial Day, officials said.
The migrants detained were attempting to enter the country illegally, officials said, and included a group of more than 400 in South El Paso, U.S. Border Patrol officials said.
The first group, which was made up of up of about 200 migrants, was caught at about 2 a.m. near the Antelope Wells Port of Entry in the boot heel of New Mexico.
The largest group of 430 migrants was captured at about 7 a.m. near Bowie High School in South El Paso.
A majority of the migrants captured were in the area between Executive Boulevard in West El Paso to Midway Street in the Lower Valley, officials said.
The migrants caught were mostly Central American families and unaccompanied children, officials said.
The latest large numbers of migrants being caught at the Southwest border is part of a large influx the U.S. Border Patrol has confronted this fiscal year, which began in October.
Agents have captured more than 130,000 migrants this fiscal year compared with 16,000 at this same time last year.
“U.S. Border Patrol Agents continue to deal with this influx of illegal aliens entering our country with no respect for our immigration laws.” Border Patrol officials said in a news release. “The numbers continue to rise and agents see no end in sight for this current situation.”
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© 2019 the El Paso Times (El Paso, Texas)
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
