US: Migrant surge on pace to be highest in 20 years

WASHINGTON

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said on Tuesday that a migrant surge at the US-Mexico border is on track to be the highest in the two decades.

In a statement, Mayorkas said the situation is difficult and encounters at the border have steadily increased since April 2020.

"We are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years. We are expelling most single adults and families. We are not expelling unaccompanied children," Mayorkas said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that law enforcement encountered more than 100,000 migrants at the border in February, a 28% increase compared to January.

Mayorkas blamed poverty, violence and corruption in Mexico and Northern Triangle countries -- Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador -- for migration.

"The adverse conditions have continued to deteriorate. Two damaging hurricanes that hit Honduras and swept through the region made the living conditions there even worse, causing more children and families to flee," he said.

Mayorkas also took aim at the former US administration of Donald Trump, saying it completely dismantled the asylum system, shut down facilities and expelled children into the hands of traffickers.

"We have had to rebuild the entire system, including the policies and procedures required to administer the asylum laws that Congress passed long ago," he said.