Border Patrol Apprehends Nearly 450 Illegal Aliens in Western Arizona

The Border Patrol apprehended nearly 450 illegal aliens over a 48 hour period in western Arizona.

Agents assigned to the Yuma Sector apprehended the migrants, who surrendered to them on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7.

The action started just before midnight on Tuesday when a camera operator saw a group of 82 illegal aliens crossing into the United States by clambering over a border wall east of the San Luis Port of Entry.

After agents apprehended the group, they found that the majority of the illegal aliens were from Guatemala. Three hailed from El Salvador. They ranged in age from 2 to 48 years old.

A Border Patrol agent pats down a man who crossed the Rio Grande illegally, in Hidalgo County, Texas, on May 26, 2017. Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times

Just four hours later, a group of 83 illegal aliens dug a shallow hole underneath the same portion of the wall, which is an older version, and entered near where the first group did. “This old portion of wall lacks the improved concrete footer that new wall prototypes have which prevents easy digging underneath,” the Border Patrol said.

The second group was mostly Guatemalans, with 14 El Salvadoreans. They ranged in age from 2 to 40 years old.

More illegal aliens entered throughout the day on Wednesday; by the end of the day, agents had apprehended a total of 449.

The agency has said that agents are encountering more large groups this year, with groups consisting of dozens of people—and sometimes over 100—regularly entering the United States outside of official ports of entry.

A truck carrying mostly Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the US drives from Santiago Niltepec to Juchitan, near the town of La Blanca in Oaxaca State, Mexico, on Oct. 30, 2018. Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images

Such entry was already illegal, but President Donald Trump made people who entered illegally ineligible for asylum in a proclamation signed on Nov. 9, partially in response to the migrant caravans that are getting closer and closer to the southern border.

“They are traveling in large, organized groups through Mexico and reportedly intend to enter the United States unlawfully or without proper documentation and to seek asylum, despite the fact that, based on past experience, a significant majority will not be eligible for or be granted that benefit. Many entered Mexico unlawfully—some with violence—and have rejected opportunities to apply for asylum and benefits in Mexico,” Trump wrote.

“The continuing and threatened mass migration of aliens with no basis for admission into the United States through our southern border has precipitated a crisis and undermines the integrity of our borders. I therefore must take immediate action to protect the national interest, and to maintain the effectiveness of the asylum system for legitimate asylum seekers who demonstrate that they have fled persecution and warrant the many special benefits associated with asylum.”

From NTD News