Border Patrol arrested more migrants crossing the southern border illegally in November than in any other month of the Trump presidency, according to early numbers obtained by Politico.
November saw 51,856 people arrested, 78 percent more than the same month last year.
Last month also set a record for the number of family members caught since 2012, when available data begins. About half of those arrested, 25,172 people, came with family members.
October had the second highest arrest rate with 50,975 taken into custody.
Immigration was at the top of the news in November after a caravan of about 7,000 people arrived in Tijuana mid-month, many having escaped from their murderous and crime-ridden countries and hoping to qualify for asylum in the U.S.
On November 25, about 1,000 tried to rush the border and illegally cross into the U.S., resulting in 42 arrests, although none of the migrants were charged. The Trump administration was heavily criticized for the Border Patrol’s response to the incident after photos showed women and small children running from clouds of tear gas.
President Trump has continued to warn about the dangers of illegal immigration and has asked Congress for $5 billion over two years to build his promised border wall. Democratic lawmakers have so far only agreed to set aside $1.6 billion for border security.
Arrests at the border during the Trump administration are about the same as the numbers from former president Obama’s presidency, both of which are much lower than the rate in the 1990s.