Report: CBP Apprehends 1,000+ Migrants in Largest-Ever Bust of Its Kind
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) apprehended a group of more than 1,000 migrants traveling together through the El Paso sector of the U.S.–Mexico border on Wednesday in the largest ever single-group bust in the agency’s history. The group consisted of 1,036 migrants hailing from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, according to Fox News.
The historic apprehension comes two days after CBP announced the creation of a new administrative position intended to help address the recent influx of asylum-seekers that have overwhelmed federal resources at the southern border. The new Border Patrol processing-coordinator position, which will be implemented in 2020, is designed to allow Border Patrol agents, 40 percent of whom are now entirely consumed by administrative tasks, to return to law-enforcement operations.
“I am committed to providing the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol the resources they need to accomplish their border-security mission,” said Carla Provost, chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. “Border Patrol Processing Coordinators will take on processing, transportation, and custody responsibilities, which will free up agents for critical law-enforcement operations.”
Department of Homeland Security officials continue to urge Congress to provide increased resources, and craft policy to allow Border Patrol agents greater autonomy, in order to address the overwhelming number of family units arriving at the border each day seeking asylum. According to border patrol, 58,474 families were apprehended at the border last month alone.
