Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 19,000 migrants during the third week of December. This brings the monthly total to nearly 57,000 migrants with ten days to go.

Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin posted an unofficial report indicating the apprehension of 19,400 migrants during the third week of December. Included in the apprehensions are the interdiction of 13 human smuggling incidents, 15 migrant rescues, and the arrest of migrants in 155 federal criminal cases.

The agents apprehended four convicted sex offenders during the seven-day period, Modlin reported.

During the two prior weeks of December, Modlin reported the apprehension of 18,400 and 18,900 migrants, respectively. This week’s apprehensions bring the month-to-date total to 56,700 through December 21.

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The Tucson Sector led all others in the report, revealing the apprehension of 64,638 migrants in November. This is up 176 percent from the previous year’s reported 23,411 migrant apprehensions. It is also up from the 55,226 migrants apprehended in October, according to the CBP report.

The average daily migrant apprehension rate rose from 1,781 in October to 2,154 in November. During the first three weeks of December, the daily migrant apprehension rate climbed to approximately 2,700 per day.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) sharply criticized the Department of Homeland Security for what he described as the late release of the numbers. CBP officials released the November migrant encounters report late on the Friday afternoon before the extended Christmas holiday weekend.

“By strategically holding the release of these numbers until the Friday before Christmas, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is unabashedly showing the full measure of his duplicity,” Chairman Green said in a written statement. “These numbers are so bad, he wants as few Americans to see them as possible.”

With the weekly numbers increasing, the Tucson Sector could experience more than 84,000 migrant apprehensions in December, should the current rate continue. The December Southwest Land Border Encounters Report is expected to be released in mid-January.

Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.