March migrant detentions at southern border hit 15-year record
Douglas Braff
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Over 171,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border in March, up from 78,442 in January, according to preliminary U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data reviewed by The Washington Post.
It is the highest monthly total since 2006, signifying the sheer amount of people mostly fleeing Central America, especially unaccompanied minors.
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In March, according to The Post‘s Friday report, CBP detained over 18,800 unaccompanied minors—a mind-boggling 99% increase from February. This easily surpasses the previous one-month high record of 11,861 in May 2019, as the newspaper noted.
The surge in the amount of migrants arriving as part of family groups last month skyrocketed to over 53,000, a massive uptick from 19,246 in February and 7,294 in January, according to the preliminary figures.
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According to The Post, a current CBP official and a former CBP official who have seen the preliminary figures confirmed their accuracy to the newspaper.
You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @DouglasPBraff.
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