Immigration
Border Patrol rescues 71 unaccompanied children smuggled across border into Arizona
Out of the 81 children found near Sasabe, Arizona, 71 had crossed the border unaccompanied
August 10, 2022 5:04am
Updated: August 10, 2022 11:37am
Border Patrol agents detained 88 migrants that had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into Arizona, 81 of whom were children, officials reported on Tuesday.
Out of the 81 children found near Sasabe, Arizona, 71 had crossed the border unaccompanied, according to Chief Patrol Agent of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Tucson Sector, John R. Modlin.
“Smugglers continue to cross large groups of children along the Southwest Border,” Modlin posted on Twitter.
Modlin added that most of the migrants in the group had come from Guatemala.
#Tucson Station agents encountered another large group near Sasabe, AZ. A total of 88 migrants were taken into custody, primarily from Guatemala. Of the 81 children, 71 were unaccompanied.
— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) August 10, 2022
Smugglers continue to cross large groups of children along the #SouthwestBorder. pic.twitter.com/UZAVgaPDm1
Tucson is home to the Customs and Border Protection’s largest patrol station, which is responsible for overseeing 23.5 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
This recent encounter comes as record-breaking numbers of migrants are attempting to cross the border into the U.S. over the past four months. June was the fourth month in a row to reach more than 200,000 immigrant interceptions by border patrol agents.
In FY 2022, DHS has encountered more than 1,746,119 undocumented immigrants, the most the agency has recorded for any fiscal year since 1960, according to The New York Post.
High numbers of migrants being intercepted by police are being seen all across the border states. For example, between July 17 and July 23, CBP agents in Yuma, Arizona intercepted more than 5,600 migrants from 46 countries, according to data published by Chief Patrol Agent Chris Clem.
