The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that Border Patrol agents apprehended a group of over 1,000 illegal aliens—the largest ever.
The group of 1,036 illegal migrants were apprehended in the El Paso, Texas, border sector on May 29. All of the aliens were from Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador.
Surveillance footage showed them streaming across the border, appearing to move through a hole in a fence. They were apprehended south of downtown El Paso, between the Bridge of the Americas and Stanton Street Bridge.
“The apprehension of 1,036 individuals in a single group—the largest group ever encountered by Border Patrol agents—demonstrates the severity of the border security and humanitarian crisis at our Southwest border,” said CPB Deputy Commissioner Robert Perez in a statement.
“The dedicated men and women of CBP, and in particular the U.S Border Patrol, are doing their very best every day to address the influx of family units and unaccompanied children.”
1,036 individuals were apprehended by El Paso Sector Border Patrol as part of a large group yesterday morning. This is the largest group ever encountered illegally crossing the border. All the individuals were from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. https://t.co/bAIYh4XRFf pic.twitter.com/HybMuBvcTj
— CBP (@CBP) May 30, 2019
The group included 934 family members, 63 unaccompanied minors, and 39 single adults. They were slated to be processed and undergo medical screenings.
Before the large group was encountered, the largest ever groups were just over 400. Agents most recently encountered a group of 424 migrants in New Mexico in late April.
Customs and Border Protection noted that the increasing number of family units has made the jobs of Border Patrol agents much more difficult.
“Processing groups of this size places a tremendous strain on CBP’s resources and operations. The dramatic increase of large groups pulls frontline personnel to conduct humanitarian efforts and draws resources away from frontline enforcement—placing border security at risk,” it stated.
In May alone the agency apprehended 45 large groups totaling more than 7,900 people, it added. During the current fiscal year, agents have apprehended or encountered more than 530,000 aliens at ports of entry on the southwest border.
President Donald Trump addressed the record apprehension, urging Democrats to start working with him to secure the border.
“Yesterday, Border Patrol agents apprehended the largest group of illegal aliens ever: 1,036 people who illegally crossed the border in El Paso around 4am,” he wrote late Thursday.
“Democrats need to stand by our incredible Border Patrol and finally fix the loopholes at our Border!”
Around the same time Trump announced that he would be imposing a 5 percent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Mexico until Mexico does more to stop migrants from moving through it to the United States.
“On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5 percent Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP,” he wrote on Twitter.
On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019
“The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed.”
