More than 150,000 illegal immigrants evaded capture at the border over the past year, Homeland Security officials said Tuesday, detailing the record surge and what agents and officers did to stop it.
Customs and Border Protection said more than 1.1 million migrants were nabbed at the country’s borders, both north and south, in fiscal year 2019, said Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of CBP.
That’s more than the population of major cities such as Austin or San Jose.
Mr. Morgan said that included a record 473,000 people traveling as families, an 88% increase over fiscal year 2018.
“These are numbers that no immigration system in the world can handle,” he said from the border in El Paso, one of the key flash points for the border surge.
Mr. Morgan said the more than 150,000 “got-aways” — migrants who evaded capture — is likely a conservative estimate, and the number is probably higher.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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