Record arrivals of Cubans, Nicaraguans and Colombians fuel 22-year high in U.S. border arrests
CBSN
A 22-year high in apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border in March was partly fueled by record arrivals of migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia and Ukraine, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures released this week show.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processed migrants 221,303 times along the southern border in March, a 33% jump from February and the highest tally since 2000, according to agency statistics. CBP said 159,900 encounters in March represented unique migrants, citing a 28% rate of repeat border crossings.
The spike in migrant arrivals was also partly driven by a 33% increase in apprehensions of single adults, who accounted for 169,062 — or 76% — of all border encounters. Arrivals of migrant parents and children traveling as families and unaccompanied minors also increased, rising to 37,818 and 14,167, respectively.
