The number of illegal migrants encountered by border authorities crossing the U.S. southern border is reportedly nearing record levels.
More than 10,000 migrants have been encountered by border agents in the past 24 hours, Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reported, citing Customs and Border Protection sources. More than 8,500 of those encountered were apprehended by agents attempting illegal entry, and more than 1,600 were met at ports of entry.
The number of migrant apprehensions in September is rivaling record totals from last year, CBS News reported:
Border Patrol agents apprehended roughly 140,000 migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization during the first 20 days of September, an average of about 6,900 each day, according to the internal agency data. That represents a 60% increase from the daily average of 4,300 in July.
The agency is on track to record more than 210,000 migrant apprehensions this month, which would be the highest level since December and May 2022, when Border Patrol reported over 220,000 apprehensions, the current all-time monthly highs. During those record-setting months, Border Patrol apprehended more than 7,000 migrants each day, a level September's average is close to matching.
The staggering numbers come after a video went viral showing large numbers of migrants moving toward the U.S. border on a train in Mexico.
Border agents told Fox News earlier this week that they were already nearing a "breaking point."