"[On Tuesday] McAllen Border Patrol Station agents working near Mission, Texas, with the assistance of air units from CBP’s Air and Marine Operations encountered a group of more than 100 illegal aliens comprised mainly of family units (FMUA) and unaccompanied alien children (UAC)," CBP said in a press release on Wednesday.
CBP said agents also discovered a stash house where human smugglers kept 71 illegal immigrants inside.
Over the weekend, agents in the Rio Grande Valley apprehended 230 illegal migrants that were smuggled into the United States in three tractor trailers. US Border Parol Chief of the Rio Grande Valley sector, Brian Hastings, said 200 illegal immigrants were apprehended in the region last week during the deadly winter storm that swept through Texas.
The migrants recently apprehended at the border are from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil and Mexico.
CBP said it has seen a steady increase in border encounters since April 2020, which has caused some facilities to reach maximum safe holding capacity. CBP data shows that more than 70,000 migrants have been apprehended at the US-Mexico border each month from October to January.
