The number of migrant families captured entering illegally increased in November

WASHINGTON – There was a slight increase in the number of families captured after crossing the southern border in November, according to numbers released Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security.

The numbers show even more families were apprehended while illegally crossing the border during a time when President Donald Trump continuously vowed in front of large numbers of supporters to stop them, even sending thousands of soldiers to the southern border. Trump held dozens of rallies ahead of November's midterm elections, calling attention whenever he could to the migrant caravan heading to the U.S. who aimed to claim asylum.

During November, 25,172 families were apprehended, an 8 percent increase from the 23,115 families that were caught illegally crossing in October. There were also slight increases in the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border, from 4,982 in October to 5,283 in November, and the overall number of individuals captured, from 51,001 to 51,856.

Ahead of the November election, Trump continued to focus on immigration, a focal point in his 2016 campaign, and vowed to stop those attempting to cross illegally because once migrants are captured, they're released and ordered to appear before an immigration judge, a process known as "catch and release." Many ignore the court proceedings and live illegally in the U.S.

"We will NOT let these Caravans, which are also made up of some very bad thugs and gang members, into the U.S.," the president said on Twitter days before the election. "Our Border is sacred, must come in legally. TURN AROUND!"

Trump's criticism of the caravan led to it becoming a primary issue in the election. He sent thousands of troops to the southern border just days before the election, something that Democrats criticized as a partisan stunt.

Homeland Security blamed the influx in November on courts that ruled against the Trump administration's immigration policies, including a recent ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that halted the president's plan to reshape the nation's asylum policies and dramatically cut the number of applications.

"Unfortunately, individual district court judges in separate immigration rulings have given another free pass to illegal aliens to violate our laws," said Katie Waldman, a DHS spokeswoman. "This has consequences. Bad decisions from the Ninth Circuit are directly responsible for the more than 25,000 family units who violated our national sovereignty and are effectively immune to consequences for their illegal actions."

The Trump administration's proposal to alter asylum policies included that migrants who enter the country illegally would not be able to request asylum.

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Waldman said the increase in apprehensions last month were a "predictable result of a broken immigration system – including flawed judicial rulings - that usurps the will of the American people who have repeatedly demanded secure borders."

"Our country cannot afford unchecked, undemocratic mass migration policies written by activist judges. We will continue to push Congress to step up and confront these legal failures," Waldman added. "If Congress once again kicks the can down the road and refuses to close the well-known and devastating loopholes and fund the President’s wall it will be a continuation of a decade’s long dereliction of duty."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The number of migrant families captured entering illegally increased in November