New Migrant Arrest Tally Equals 'Full-Blown Emergency'

CBP reveals highest numbers in 13 years
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2019 6:19 PM CDT
New Migrant Arrest Tally Is Out. You're Not Ready
In this April 20, 2019 file photo, migrants are loaded onto a bus at the Border Patrol headquarters on Hondo Pass, in El Paso, Texas.   (Mark Lambie/The El Paso Times via AP File)

American border officials arrested over 144,000 migrants in May—an eye-popping number that was released Wednesday amid contentious negotiations between US and Mexican officials over the migrant flow, the New York Times reports. According to Customs and Border Patrol, the arrest tally was 32% higher than April's, the most during President Trump's tenure, and the biggest in 13 years. Of those detained, over 132,000 had illegally crossed the border and over 11,000 were considered "inadmissable" at US ports of entry, per the Washington Post. Meanwhile, CBP officials say more than 100,000 migrants have been detained and holding cells are maxed out. "We are in full-blown emergency, and I cannot say this stronger: the system is broken," says acting CBP Commissioner John Sanders.

Also Wednesday, administration officials met with Mexico's head diplomat at the White House to press one of President Trump's top issues: curbing the flow of migrants. "Mexico, you know, wants to make a deal," he said while visiting Ireland. "They have their entire delegation right now going over to probably the White House location to negotiate with our people." Trump is also threatening tariffs on Mexican imports—slated to start Monday at 5% and rise incrementally—that GOP senators are scrambling to prevent. Meanwhile, Mexico has sent over 80,500 migrants back home to Central America and other regions, and saw 25,000 seek refuge in Mexico. There's also widespread sympathy in Mexico for migrants, who are often fleeing brutal conditions in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, per the AP.

(More immigration stories.)

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