(NewsNation) — December migrant encounters at the southern border are on track to exceed November’s numbers by 30%, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol sources confirmed to NewsNation Monday.
CBP encountered roughly 130,000 migrants in the first 17 days of November. For the first 17 days in December, CBP reported about 167,000 encounters, according to a CBP source. That is a jump of 37,000 encounters, or 28%.
Migrant encounters have spiked in the Tucson Sector, but the sector is also leading the charge in self-surrenders. NewsNation’s Ali Bradley reported that a majority of those surrenders crossed through holes cut in the border wall by human smugglers.
Roughly 10,000 or more people were apprehended daily last week and every day surpassed 10,000 migrants with the exception of Sunday, which only saw 9,900 encounters. Friday surpassed 11,000 migrants.
This surge in migrant crossings has overwhelmed local officials in southern border towns in areas such as Eagle Pass, Texas. On Monday morning, over 2,000 migrants were waiting to be processed in the city.
CBP agents said they are overwhelmed by the unsustainable situation. Multiple sectors along the border are beyond capacity.
Agents and Office of Field Operations officers are being pulled from checkpoints and other areas to assist with transporting and processing migrants. This leaves many areas along the southern border wall vulnerable and open for the cartels to push whatever and whoever through the unmanned holes.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has ordered National Guard troops to the state’s southern border to combat the issue in her state.
Hobbs criticized the federal government’s handling of border security, stating, “Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe. I am taking action where the federal government won’t.”
The exact number of Arizona National Guard members deployed and their specific duties remain unclear. However, troops are stationed at various locations.
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