Border Patrol agents assigned to the Del Rio Sector apprehended more than 1,100 migrants from multiple countries in Africa since May 30. The migrants present unique problems for Border Patrol agents who must care for their health and safety.
“The apprehension of people from African countries illegally crossing our borders continues to increase,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “Our agents this year have encountered people from 51 countries other than Mexico including 19 countries from the continent of Africa.”
Border Patrol officials reported on Friday that the Del Rio Sector continues to receive and process large numbers of migrants from the continent of Africa. The trend began in May when agents in the sector began noticing for the first time, large groups of migrants from Africa illegally crossing the border, Breitbart News reported.
In a press call in June, Brian Hastings, U.S. Border Patrol Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, told reporters this was the first large group “ever recorded in Border Patrol history solely from Central and South Africa. We’ve never seen that demographic in a large group of that size before.”
Within just a few days, the number of African migrants apprehended in this single sector jumped to more than 500.
“The introduction of this new population places additional burdens on processing stations, to include language and cultural differences,” Chief Ortiz said in a written statement at the time. “Our agents continue to meet each new challenge as the ongoing humanitarian crisis evolves.”
Near the end of June, Del Rio Sector agents apprehended two more large groups totaling more than 300 migrant during two days of patrolling the border.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.