Migrant crossings along the southern US border are rising, reaching more than 8,000 apprehensions
By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN
(CNN) — Migrant crossings along the United States’ southern border are rising, reaching more than 8,000 apprehensions on Monday, according to a Department of Homeland Security official, straining federal resources and overwhelming already-crowded facilities.
In May, ahead of the expiration of the Covid-era restriction known as Title 42, US Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 8,000 people daily and had around 25,000 migrants in custody, raising alarm within the Biden administration.
But after Title 42 expired, numbers dropped dramatically – with daily border arrests hovering around 3,500 – as the administration levied consequences against those who crossed the border illegally.
But crossings are ticking up again amid ongoing mass migration across the Western hemisphere.
The latest number of daily encounters paints a grim outlook for the fall as President Joe Biden ramps up his reelection campaign and Republicans continue to hammer the administration over its handling of border crossings.
On Monday, Border Patrol apprehended more than 8,000 migrants, according to the DHS official, who added many of those crossing are families.
Migrant families pose a unique set of challenges for officials.
Late last week, a court filing revealed one of those challenges when an independent court monitor found that, in rare cases, children were temporarily separated from their parents while in processing because of crowded holding areas.
Deteriorating conditions in Latin America that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic have contributed to people wanting to migrate to the United States.
The number of migrants crossing the treacherous Darién Gap – which connects Panama and Colombia and has recently served as a barometer for movement in the region – broke a record in 2023: According to immigration officials in Panama, 248,901 people crossed the jungle in 2023, and of those, approximately 20% are children and adolescents.
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