Preliminary data shows that U.S. border authorities apprehended more than 171,000 migrants in March, Reuters reported Friday.
The over 171,000 migrants make up the highest monthly total in the past 20 years. Of the 171,000 migrants, 19,000 were unaccompanied migrant children, and another 53,000 migrants were family units trying to gain entry into the U.S., according to Reuters. Single adult migrants totaled 99,000 of the more than 171,000 migrants.
???? BREAKING → Illegal border crossings last month jumped to the highest level in 15 years as more than 171,000 migrants were apprehended in March alone.
Yet Joe Biden and Kamala Harris still refuse to call this a crisis. What a joke. https://t.co/mAj2lIFkYz
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) April 2, 2021
The preliminary March 2021 figures are much higher than data from March 2019, when the U.S. was facing a surge in migrants at the border under former President Donald Trump. In 2019, Border Patrol had 103,731 enforcement encounters, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
If the preliminary data is accurate, the more than 171,000 apprehensions at the border will eclipse May 2019’s peak of just over 144,000 enforcement encounters, CBP data shows. (RELATED: Biden Scrapped These Major Trump Border Policies Before The Crisis Started)
According to the @washingtonpost , illegal immigration numbers skyrocketed to 171,000 in the month of March. That’s up from 100,441 in February
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) April 2, 2021
President Joe Biden’s administration is currently trying to manage the border after it spent weeks denying it was a crisis. The president has appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to oversee the U.S. response, but the vice president has not announced plans to visit the border. The surge has left U.S. border authorities and detention facilities overwhelmed. The government has had to resort to providing migrants hotel rooms and flying migrants around the country to disperse the burden.