Monday saw the highest ever number of illegal border crossings from Mexico into the U.S. during a single day, according to figures released by the Border Patrol.
The Border Patrol reported 14,509 encounters with illegal immigrants at the border Monday, Dec. 18. Some 3,100 of the illicit border crossings occurred in the Del Rio Sector, 3,089 in the Tucson Sector, 1,471 in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, 1,488 in the El Paso Sector and 1,343 in the San Diego Sector. Meanwhile, the Border Patrol held 26,758 migrants in custody.
Anna Giaritelli, a Homeland Security and Immigration reporter for the Washington Examiner, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “This is a phenomenon like we’ve never seen before.”
NEW! Government numbers obtained from Border Patrol show yesterday had the most-ever immigrants encountered at the southern border: 14,509. This is a phenomenon like we’ve never seen before.
26,758 in custody
5,197 in Del Rio
5,004 in Tucson
4,968 in RGV
4,722 in El Paso pic.twitter.com/wC5sDPFwHg— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) December 19, 2023
Several journalists reporting from the ground at the U.S. border with Mexico have shared stunning footage of hundreds of illegal immigrants throughout the week.
Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin posted a video to X from Lukeville, Arizona and reported, “500+ came through a breach in the border wall hours ago. There are only a handful of agents here to handle this huge group as BP remains stretched thin.”
Hundreds of illegal immigrants here in Lukeville, AZ now marching towards an outdoor processing area set up by Border Patrol. 500+ came through a breach in the border wall hours ago. There are only a handful of agents here to handle this huge group as BP remains stretched thin. pic.twitter.com/XNPPZVyxdX
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) December 20, 2023
Meanwhile, News Nation national correspondent Jorge Ventura posted a video revealing: “The current scene at the Eagle Pass border as thousands of migrants turn themselves in to border patrol agents who are completely overwhelmed and thousands more on their way here.”
The current scene at the Eagle Pass border as thousands of migrants turn themselves in to border patrol agents who are completely overwhelmed and thousands more on their way here @NewsNation pic.twitter.com/Dd8FYnYDH2
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) December 20, 2023
Troy Miller, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s acting commissioner says the flow of illegal immigrants across the southern border is “unprecedented.” Illegal border crossings now commonly top 10,000 in a day, Miller reported. He says his patrols are overwhelmed, “If we don’t have anybody to respond, then you’re going to see what you’re seeing.”
The failure of the federal government to address the border emergency under President Joe Biden’s leadership led Texas this week to take the extraordinary step of passing a law allowing state police to arrest immigrants for illegal entry.
