Exclusive: Single Group of 1,200 Migrants Surge Across Arizona Border

Tucson Sector -- Large Migrant Groups (Photos: U.S. Border Patrol and Breitbart Texas, Ran
Photos: U.S. Border Patrol and Breitbart Texas, Randy Clark

According to a source within CBP, Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended a single group of migrants that crossed the U.S./Mexico border into San Miguel, Arizona. An initial headcount at the crossing scene on Saturday showed the group consisted of 1,200 migrants from across the globe. Saturday’s group is one of two large groups of more than 1,000 migrants to cross the border near San Miguel since November 1.

The small census-designated area of San Miguel is now one of the busiest crossing points for large migrant groups in the Tucson Border Patrol Sector. Located on the Tohono Oʼodham Nation reservation, the small community is home to roughly 207 inhabitants as of the 2020 census. According to the source, not authorized to speak to the media, the recent large groups of migrants are merely surrendering to Border Patrol agents in hopes of gaining release into the United States to pursue asylum claims.

Large migrant group enters Tucson Sector. (U.S. Border Patrol/Tucson Sector)

Large migrant group enters Tucson Sector. (U.S. Border Patrol/Tucson Sector)

The source told Breitbart Texas most of the migrants arrested on Saturday will likely achieve that goal and be released to non-government migrant shelters in the coming days.

“There’s just no more room at the inn to hold them and no mechanism in place to remove them to their home country fast enough — we’re overwhelmed,” the source emphasized. In all, more than 2,000 migrants were apprehended within the Tucson Sector by Saturday’s end.

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Since October 1, more than 60,000 migrants have poured into the United States in the Tucson Sector, making it the busiest sector in the nation, according to the source. San Miguel is just one crossing point located within the sector experiencing a surge of migrant crossings.

Breitbart Texas posted near Lukeville, Arizona, recently and observed multiple large migrant groups crossing into the United States daily. The migrant groups consisted of nationals from the People’s Republic of China, India, Pakistan, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Senegal, and a host of other migrants from across the globe.

Saturday’s large group was transported to a nearby soft-sided Border Patrol processing facility in Tucson. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the facility has recently been renovated to accommodate the increase in migrant apprehensions within the sector. Its initial operating cost was more than $7 million per month.

The total value of the contract for the facility built in 2021 was more than $100 million. Due to capacity issues and a migrant surge that has only worsened, the source says the monthly operational costs have nearly doubled since the expansion project.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.

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