EDINBURG, Texas (AP) - Federal officials say 150 Border Patrol agents will be deployed to South Texas from Arizona, California and elsewhere to help process a spike in immigrants who have been apprehended after illegally entering the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Saturday that agents from Tucson, Arizona, and San Diego will be temporarily reassigned to the Rio Grande Valley. Agents working another portion of the Texas border will join them.
The additional agents will assist with screening and processing immigrants taken into custody along the border, many of whom are unaccompanied children and families.
Leaders in the city of McAllen said they're struggling to provide services and noted that October was the busiest month for a church support center since 2014 with more than 5,600 immigrants offered assistance.