Surge of Haitians arrested at southern border

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Del Rio Station in Texas have arrested a group of Haitian nationals every day this past last week.

On June 11, agents assigned to the Del Rio Station arrested a group of 14 people from Haiti.  Over the next week, Del Rio Station agents encountered increasingly larger groups of Haitian nationals, including a group of 44 on June 17.

In total, more than 180 people from Haiti have been arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in Del Rio Sector in the past week.

Prior to this week, Del Rio Sector had apprehended 17 Haitians since October 1, 2018.

"Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents have apprehended immigrants from 44 countries around the world," said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz. "Our agents, along with the assistance of our DHS partners, continue to meet each new challenge as the ongoing humanitarian crisis evolves."

Del Rio Sector's total apprehensions to date this year is in excess of 36,000, already more than double the total number of arrests made during the previous fiscal year.

More than 29,000 of the individuals arrested this year, over 80 percent, are from approximately 44 countries other than Mexico.