U.S. border officials report an unsustainable surge in migrant family detentions
On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a 97 percent uptick in arrests at the southern border since last year, fueled by a 300 percent increase in migrants detained while traveling with children or families. During the five-month period that ended in February, Border Patrol agents arrested about 280,000 migrants entering the country without authorization, creating what CBP chief Kevin McAleenan called "a border security and a humanitarian crisis." The immigration system "is well beyond capacity, and remains at the breaking point," he added, and the solutions CBP has enacted — including more medical screenings and new facilities to hold families — "are temporary and this situation is not sustainable."
The total number of arrests is significantly lower than in past decades, but the changing demographics of the migrants — families from Central America rather than single men from Mexico — has put a strain on border agencies and migrant-oriented nonprofits. CBP released the data as Trump is taking extraordinary and controversial steps to build a border wall, and before a Senate vote on terminating his declared national emergency at the border. But the vast majority of migrants turn themselves in to border agents, and "a wall would do little to slow migration," The New York Times reports, citing immigration analysts.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
