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Number of border arrests now at highest point since 2007
HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images

Number of border arrests now at highest point since 2007

Most of those arrested were in family units, and most family units came from Central America

The number of illegal immigrants apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection reached 98,977 in April, while the number of people it turned away at the border hit 10,167. This combined total is the highest for any month since 2007.

Here's what we know

The number of arrests was up nearly 7 percent over March, which had seen 92,831 arrests. The number of people turned away at the border, however, had decreased slightly from March's 10,888.

According to data released by CBP, the combined number of apprehensions and people turned away at the border has risen every month since August of last year. April's combined total (109,144) was more than double what it had been in April of 2018 (51,168).

In a tweet, CBP said that it was "experiencing an unprecedented and unsustainable situation at the Southwest border." It also said that in just the first seven months of the 2019 fiscal year (which began in October), the number of border apprehensions has been greater than in any full year since 2009.

CBP reported that most of those apprehended in April (58,474 or 59 percent) crossed the border in a family unit. Less than one-third (31,606 or 32 percent) were single adults. In contrast, most of those turned away at the border (6,144 or 60 percent) were single adults.

El Paso, Texas, has seen the biggest jump in border arrests since April 2018, according to a breakdown of border apprehensions by sector.

The majority of illegal immigrants, who came over in family units in fiscal year 2019 and were apprehended, came from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. In contrast, more single adults who were apprehended came from Mexico than from these three countries combined.

What else?

On Sunday, the New York Times editorial board called on Congress to "give [President Donald] Trump his border money," expressing concern over how the limited resources currently available to U.S. authorities at the border could handle the increased number of immigrants trying to enter the United States.

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