According to new statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), August saw a spike in the number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) and family units attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
CBP reports that “while the overall numbers are consistent with an expected seasonal increase, the number of family unit apprehensions increased 38%, approximately 3,500 more than July.”
“In August, the number of family units apprehended represented 34% of all Southwest Border apprehensions, an increase from an average of 25% for the year,” writes CBP.
CBP says in a press release that “[t]he August Southwest Border Apprehension/Inadmissible numbers are a clear indicator that the migration flows are responding to gaps in our nation’s legal framework."
This comes after the Trump administration ended its “zero-tolerance” immigration policy that separated illegal alien children from their accompanying family members at the border.
While the illegal alien adults awaited deportation proceedings in detention facilities, the children were processed and turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement where they were placed with sponsors, as MRCTV reported. Faced with a firestorm of criticism, the administration was essentially forced to reverse the policy and incarcerate families as a unit, including the children.
The Conservative Review provides further insight on the new numbers:
According to new data from Customs and Border Protection, the number of apprehensions of family units spiked by 38 percent in August compared to the previous month. That is a record for the month of August. The number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) rose by 11.5 percent. Overall, almost 16,500 family units were apprehended [including units deemed 'inadmissibles'] at or in between entry points, a level that has not been seen during any month since the Obama administration.
This is even more disturbing given the growing trajectory. Because of the perception that policies would change with the new administration, the border flow slowed to a trickle in 2017. Now it has surged again, proving that the entire deterrent power of this administration is gone unless policies change. The flow of family units this August represents a 140 percent increase over August 2017, while the number of UACs increased by 44 percent. If record numbers of families are coming over during the August heat, that means we are in for a real treat in the fall and winter unless there is a change in policy.
The spike in the number of family units shows that a number of people who previously just sent their kids here alone to join other relatives, thinking that our leniency wouldn’t extend to adults, now understand that they can come together and be paroled together under catch-and-release.
Read here for the full CBP report.