Border apprehensions hit 12-year high in March

U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended more than 90,000 migrants trying to cross the southern border in March, marking a 12-year high as President Donald Trump vows to get tougher on illegal immigration.

Border Patrol agents apprehended 92,607 migrants attempting to cross the border, including 53,077 individuals in family units, the agency said – a significant increase over the roughly 36,500 migrants apprehended in family units last month.

The number of unaccompanied children apprehended at the border also jumped significantly in March, rising to 8,975 from about 6,800 in February and nearly doubling since October, when some 4,970 unaccompanied children were apprehended.

The overall tally reported by the agency is the highest since 2007, according to government statistics.

The agency also reported that almost 11,000 migrants presenting themselves at ports of entry along the border were deemed inadmissible – a figure in line with previous reports from this year – bringing the total number of migrants apprehended or deemed inadmissible for entry to 103,942.

Tuesday’s release comes just two days after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was forced out from her post. Nielsen had butted heads with President Trump, in part because of escalating numbers of migrants attempting to enter the country.

Trump also recently withdrew his pick for the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement because he wanted the agency to go in a “tougher” direction. Trump had originally tapped Ron Vitiello, the agency’s acting director, for the post, but told reporters Friday he was rescinding Vitiello’s nomination.

The president in recent days has declared that the country is “full” and has threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico. He recently cut U.S. aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for what he said is their lack of help in reducing the flow of migrants.

Many of Trump’s signature immigration moves have been tangled up in the courts. A federal judge on Monday issued an injunction against the Trump administration’s “remain in Mexico” policy, under which asylum seeking migrants were required to return to Mexico as they await court hearings.

Detention facilities along the southern border are straining under the volume of migrants arriving at the border. Border Patrol agents in some areas have released migrants from detention with instructions to appear at a court date in a practice commonly referred to as “catch and release.”