The Trump administration has dramatically picked up the pace of border apprehensions, catching thousands more migrants trying to enter the country illegally or seeking asylum.
But the surge in arrests, a 60 percent increase over the summer, also means thousands more people are getting into the country illegally, increasing pressure on President Donald Trump’s team to clamp down even harder on the southern border.
The Department of Homeland Security commonly uses apprehensions as a proxy measure of illegal immigration. That’s based on a belief that the proportion of people apprehended while trying to enter illegally is constant, and therefore also reflects the number of total crossings.
After hitting a 17-year low in April, border agents have seen apprehensions climb from 11,125 to nearly 22,300 people in August, as people rushed to enter before Trump builds a long-promised security wall and enacts tougher border-security measures. – READ MORE
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