Nearly 138,000 migrants were apprehended by Border Patrol agents in five Texas border sectors in May, Breitbart News reports.
According to a source within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), that's 10,000 more than in April and equal to the population of Waco, Texas.
According to data reviewed by Breitbart, Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Del Rio, Big Bend and El Paso sectors picked up approximately 137,800 migrants who illegally crossed the southern border in May. That's roughly 32% of the more than 220,000 migrants picked up by agents along the entire southwest stretch of the border last month.
"The fact is that our borders are not open, and we will continue to remove those who enter our country unlawfully and have no legal basis to stay," CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement, following April's record number of apprehensions. "After many months of planning, we are executing a comprehensive strategy to safely, orderly, and humanely manage our borders."
May's data revealed that the Rio Grande Valley sector was the country's most active for migrant apprehensions, with just over 45,000 migrants, Breitbart reports. The Del Rio sector was a close second, with more than 44,000. The El Paso, Laredo and Big Bend sectors came in with about 34,000, 11,500 and 2,800 apprehensions respectively, according to the news outlet.
Del Rio sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens tweeted that his agents picked up nearly 4,000 migrants over Memorial Day weekend, while 1,600 others got away without being apprehended. The sector's May total for apprehensions was 44,000, according to Breitbart.
Of the nearly 4,000 migrants apprehended, at least 16 had criminal histories, Owens said.
According to published reports, the southern border with Mexico is far from safe and orderly.
Reuters reports that several thousand migrants, many from Venezuela, set out from southern Mexico last Monday for the United States, timing their trek to coincide with the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.
The group could be one of the biggest migrant caravans in recent years, according to migration experts.
