Yuma Sector Border Patrol officials tweeted that large groups of illegal immigrants from Central America continue to exploit gaps in the region’s border infrastructure to enter the U.S.
Border Patrol officials with the Yuma Sector tweeted a video showing a group of illegal immigrants crossing the border where there is a gap in infrastructure. The crossing occurred on November 23 at about 4:15 p.m., according to Yuma Sector officials.
#CBP Large groups of illegal aliens from Central America continue to exploit gaps in infrastructure along the border in #YumaSector to gain access to the United States. #SouthwestBorder #NationalSecurity pic.twitter.com/Hu7X4Z8Zx6
— CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) November 26, 2018
Officials told Breitbart News the group of 31 migrants crossed the border Friday afternoon. They classified all but one as family units. They came to the U.S. from El Salvador (4) and Guatemala (27) and the majority asked for asylum, the Yuma Sector spokesman stated.
According to the source, “no intelligence at this time suggests that they were part of the caravan.” The caravan migrants still appear to be consolidated to the San Diego Sector at this time.
Yuma Sector officials previously sounded the alarm that gaps in border infrastructure and outdated border wall technology allow large groups to exploit the international boundary.
Earlier this month, Yuma Sector officials reported that nearly 450 mostly Central American, non-caravan, migrants exploited the old barrier by scaling over or burrowing under the outdated wall during a two-day period beginning on November 6, Breitbart News reported.
Yuma Sector officials said the old-style “landing mat” wall design lacks the improved concrete footer found in the new prototypes tested in the San Diego Sector earlier this year. The older technology allows migrants to burrow under the fence.
A few days later, more than 650 mostly Guatemalan, non-caravan migrants were apprehended after crossing near the Lukeville, Arizona, port of entry.
While the 654 migrants apprehended in these incidents are mostly from Guatemala, officials said they are not part of the larger caravans making their way northward through Mexico. Instead, they are part of the massively increasing numbers of migrants who cross the Arizona border on a near-daily basis.
In October 2018, Border Patrol agents in the Yuma Sector apprehended 3,613 migrants who illegally crossed the border between ports of entry, according to the Southwest Border Migration Report published by CBP last week. This is up from 1,536 in October 2017 — an increase of more than 135 percent.
Migrants apprehended by Border Patrol agents during Fiscal Year 2018 increased 100 percent over the prior year’s total, officials stated.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Border/Cartel Chronicles. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.