As illegal border crossings into the US are said to be on the rise, according to a new report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), some have commented that the information, if true, could act to increase interest in the building of US President Donald Trump's wall between the US and Mexico.
A DHS statement released on Friday has asserted that incidences of undocumented immigrants illegally crossing the border between the US and Mexico rose in June for the second month in a row, although overall figures covering the past several years have declined sharply, according to the Washington Times.
The US Border Patrol claimed that 16,089 undocumented immigrants were arrested attempting to illegally cross the border in June, while the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) asserted that 5,570 undocumented immigrants arrived at US ports of entry with no prior authorization.
The total figure of 21,659 undocumented immigrants remains, however, is the lowest number for June in several years, as over the previous four years there has been an average drop of 10 percent in June arrests by the US Border Patrol, according to the Washington Post.
Also in June, unaccompanied undocumented children attempting to cross into the US from the south rose 31 percent as compared to May, while figures detailing families were said to have risen 47 percent in June over May, according to the DHS.
The CPB noted that the two-month increase was still far below figures documented during the final years of the Obama administration.
"These numbers represent a 53 percent decrease as compared to June of 2016," the agency said, cited by the Washington Post.
Nonetheless, the Trump White House is projected to seize upon the two-month uptick to promote legislation to construct its 2000-mile border wall between Mexico and the US, considered by many on both sides of the political fence as being a pointless undertaking, particularly since illegal border crossings are now at their lowest point in some 40 years.
Trump, after meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany on Friday, was asked by reporters whether he still believes that he can get Mexico to foot the bill for his border wall.
"Absolutely," Trump responded.
