From : Data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection show apprehensions of families and unaccompanied minors crossing the Texas-Mexico border has hit levels not seen since the 2014 border surge. There were more than 7,100 such cases in the Rio Grande sector last month alone.
Summer is the time we usually see spikes in illegal border crossings, so what does this mean for the coming season?
reports from Rio Grande Valley Bureau of the 鈥� he says although Border Patrol is still seeing a lot of families and children crossing, the numbers are still significantly lower than those of 2014. The number of people crossing the border is, however, steadily rising.
鈥淲e are definitely seeing an increase,鈥� Nelsen says. 鈥淧art of what some analysts and just reporting with people on the ground seems to suggest is that the crisis in Central America 鈥� the things that are pushing people to immigrate are still there.鈥�
Nelsen says that although numbers dropped due to increased enforcement in Mexico last year, it鈥檚 possible that smugglers are now finding new routes. But part of the rising number of people crossing the border is because there has been little to no change in the conditions people are seeking to leave 鈥� particularly in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.
鈥�(There鈥檚) really crushing poverty, which has been an issue for many many years,鈥� Nelsen says. 鈥淏ut it seems that the violence 鈥� it seems to be a tipping point it really pushing people and has been for the past few years.鈥�
Nelsen says that although there is a disconnect between migrants鈥� expectations about crossing the border and the dangerous realities, people aren鈥檛 going to stop coming.
鈥淧eople try to separate the possibility of danger or something terrible happening to them. 鈥楾hat鈥檚 gonna happen to somebody else, not me,鈥欌�� Nelsen says. 鈥淎t the end of the day, the people that feel really desperate 鈥� that they have no other situation, no other alternative to look to or turn to 鈥� this is what they鈥檙e going to do.鈥�
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