Number of border arrests set a new record for the Trump era in November, up 78% over last year

I pointed out yesterday that Border Patrol agents working in the San Diego area were reporting a “slight uptick” in the number of people crossing illegally since the migrant caravan arrived. Today, we learned that the number of people arrested crossing the border as a whole set a new high last month, at least for the Trump era. And Politico reports the number of family members arrested reached a high not seen since 2012:

Border Patrol arrested 51,856 migrants in November — a 78 percent increase over the same month a year earlier.

Families made up roughly half of those caught crossing the border. The agency nabbed 25,172 family members in November, according to the preliminary data.

The family arrests amount to the highest monthly total since federal officials began compiling such statistics in fiscal year 2012.

So is this new record connected to the migrant caravan? As noted above the answer is probably yes. The first few thousand members of the migrant caravan arrived in Tijuana in mid-November and we know some of those migrants have been attempting to cross the border illegally since then.

However, it’s worth pointing out that the previous high for arrests during Trump’s administration was in October, i.e. just one month earlier. That month there were 50,975 arrests, only about 900 less than in November. The caravan couldn’t have had anything to do with the total in October because most of them were still hundreds of miles away at the time. So it’s probably fair to say a larger surge is happening and the caravan is now starting to contribute to that. But the uptick seems to be happening in other places as well. CBS 4 reports border patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas arrested 1,900 illegal immigrants last weekend alone:

On Friday, November 30, agents from the Weslaco Station found a group of 73 undocumented immigrants near Hidalgo.

One of those arrested was confirmed to be an MS-13 Gang Member, according to RGV Sector Chief Manuel Padilla, Jr.

On Saturday, December 1, Border Patrol Agents stopped 27 human smuggling attempts and intercepted 2,500 pounds of marijuana, according to Padilla.

On Monday morning, another large group of 51 immigrants were found near Granjeno.

Most of those arrested came from Central America, which has been the norm for the past several years.