By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - A record number of migrant families crossed the US-Mexico border in the month of August, according to a report published Friday.
Preliminary data obtained by the Washington Post newspaper indicates the US Border Patrol apprehended over 91,000 migrants who crossed the US's southern border last month as part of a family.
That significantly exceeds the previous record of 84,486, which was set in May 2019 when ex-US President Donald Trump was in office.
Families accounted for the largest share of migrants who crossed the US-Mexico border in August, a first since US President Joe Biden took office. Previously, single migrants took the largest share of migrant crossings.
The Border Patrol made over 177,000 overall arrests in August, an increase from 132,652 arrests in July, and 99,539 in June.
The news is sure to be a stiff pill for Biden to swallow as he heads into the 2024 White House race with Republicans pouncing on immigration as a key issue to galvanize Americans ahead of the polls.
The Department of Homeland Security sought to defend the Biden administration's policies, with a spokesperson saying the federal government is seeking to toughen penalties for migrants who cross into the US illegally while opening the door to additional legal pathways for migrants to pursue.
That has included increased repatriation flights that have seen over 17,000 migrant families deported to their home countries.
“But as with every year, the U.S. is seeing ebbs and flows of migrants arriving fueled by seasonal trends and the efforts of smugglers to use disinformation to prey on vulnerable migrants and encourage migration,” Erin Heeter, the spokesperson, told the Post in a statement.