More than 2 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the US-Mexico border so far this year, shattering last year’s all-time record despite one month remaining in this fiscal year, new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data released on Monday showed.
CBP encounters at the southwest border reached 2,150,639 in August, topping last year’s record-breaking total of 1,734,686.
CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement that “failing communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba” are largely to blame for the influx of illegal immigrants at the southwest border.
“Our dedicated teams of skilled agents continue to work around the clock to secure our border and safely and humanely process and vet every individual encountered, but those fleeing repressive regimes pose significant challenges for processing and removal,” Magnus said.
Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris insisted that the U.S.-Mexico border is secure despite the record-breaking number of illegal immigrants entering the U.S.
“We have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration. But there are still a lot of problems that we are trying to fix given the deterioration that happened over the last four years,” Harris said.
Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw subsequently slammed Harris for her comments, writing on Instagram that “no one is buying” her claims that the southern border is secure.
“No one is buying this. No one. The crisis at our border remains, and so does your complete dereliction of duty. I personally invite @VP to come down to Texas and see the reality of our ‘secure border.’ If 2 million isn’t enough to call it a crisis, what will be?” Crenshaw wrote.
On Friday, officials said the Massachusetts National Guard was activated to help transport 50 illegal immigrants from Martha’s Vineyard to Joint Base Cape Cod, which is located off the island. The dramatic move comes just one day after the illegal immigrants arrived on the island beloved by wealthy Washington, D.C. elites.
