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Migrant apprehensions are up 25% in Tucson sector, down nationwide

Agency publishes timetable for Mexico border wall
Posted at 9:45 PM, Sep 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-11 01:23:40-04

At the U.S. Mexico border, officials say migrant apprehensions are down nationwide, but are up 25 percent in the Tucson sector.

Agents tell KGUN9 the increase is partly due to families coming over seeking asylum.

Agents tell us families are dropped off by smuggling organizations in the middle of nowhere in the desert, and are told to cross the border illegally, wait for border patrol, and then turn themselves in.

Border Patrol Agent Jesus Vasavilbaso says "Sixty-eight percent of our apprehensions are from people that do not want to be apprehended. That's our everyday job. That job has not changed. So on top of that we have the family units that come in, that twenty percent increase on it. So it is very taxing for our agents. We use a lot of resources a lot of agents a lot vehicles to try to get those people out of the elements."

Agents say half of recent migrant rescues nationwide happened in the Tucson sector.

That's because of the Sonoran Desert's harsh terrain.