Cuban Illegal Border Crossings Up 1600 Percent in One Texas Sector

Officials in the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector reported a 1,600 percent increase in the number of Cuban migrants apprehended after illegally crossing the border from Mexico.

In the first seven months of Fiscal Year 2018, Del Rio Sector border patrol agents only apprehended seven Cuban nationals who illegally crossed the Rio Grande to enter Texas. So far this fiscal year, that number jumped to 119 — a 1,600 percent increase, according to information provided by Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials.

“Migrants seeking entry into the United States need to present themselves at a Port of Entry to be lawfully admitted,” Del Rio Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Randy Davis said in a written statement. “This recent trend in the Del Rio Sector area of responsibility of Cuban Nationals crossing the border illegally between the POEs highlights the complexity of the immigration problem and the need for an immediate solution.”

Agents in this sector have apprehended more than 23,000 migrants from at least 30 countries, other than Mexico, during the first seven months of this fiscal year which began on October 1, 2018. This represents an increase in total apprehensions of “Other than Mexican” of about 450 percent, officials reported.

Just down the river in the Laredo Sector, hundreds of African migrants are waiting to cross into the U.S., Breitbart News reported. A large group of African migrants gathered on the south side of the Laredo Port of Entry to protest U.S. immigration policies that are keeping them from entering the U.S. to claim asylum. The group claims that “not enough is being done” to help them get asylum into the U.S.

Laredo Sector officials told Breitbart News last week that so far, none of the African migrants have apparently attempted to illegally enter the U.S.

The group of African migrants expressed frustration about having to wait in Mexico to legally make their way into the U.S. where they can claim asylum. The group told Mexican authorities that Cuban migrants are getting preferential treatment.

Associated Press reports that 13,000 migrants are camped out in eight Mexican border communities, waiting for their opportunity to enter the U.S. and make a claim for asylum. The largest numbers are in shelters in Tijuana (4,800) and Ciudad Juarez (4,500). The remainder are scattered by the hundreds in Mexicali, San Luis Rio Colorado, Nogales, Piedras Negras, Reynosa, and Matamoros, the AP stated.

In response to the protests of the African migrants waiting in Nuevo Laredo, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials released a statement published by KGNS.

“The number of inadmissible individuals CBP is able to process varies based upon case complexity; available resources; medical needs; translation requirements; holding/detention space; overall port volume; and ongoing enforcement actions.”

CBP goes on to say, “Port of entry facilities were not designed to hold hundreds of people at a time who may be seeking asylum. And we are also charged with keeping the flow of legitimate trade and travel.”