LUKEVILLE, Arizona — In what Border Patrol agents describe as a daily event, more than 300 mostly West African migrants walked through drainage gates in the border wall several miles west of Lukeville, Arizona. The group contained around forty migrants from Peru, India, Ecuador, and several Middle Eastern countries, according to Border Patrol agents who spoke to Breitbart Texas.
The video. filmed on Tuesday in the Organ Pipe Monument National Reserve, shows the migrants staging along the border fence just after daybreak. After walking through the open storm drainage gates, welded open to accommodate water run-off during the desert monsoon season, the migrants travel to a nearby water station and then to a rally point where Border Patrol agents begin the initial stages of processing the group.
Migrants from Many Nations Arrive at Arizona Border Crossing. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Breitbart Texas walked along parts of the path with the migrants as they made their way from the border wall to a nearby highway. The migrants showed their enthusiasm in finally making it to the United States — one migrant shouting “Thank you America” repeatedly.
Of the more than 300 migrants making the trek through the reserve, few could speak Spanish or English. Some of the migrants who identified themselves as Senegalese nationals spoke French and a few words in broken English. Others spoke Arabic and Hindi. Some of the migrants can be heard coughing loudly in the group. Many have traveled from outside the hemisphere for months to reach the United States-Mexico border.
The Border Patrol notes a significant increase in migrants from outside the hemisphere. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the arrest of migrants from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has increased more than 6,000 percent this fiscal year compared to the same time frame in 2022. The arrest of Egyptians at the southwest border has also increased by 1,400 percent over last year.
This group was the second large group in two days. On Monday, a similar-sized group made the same crossing and surrendered to awaiting Border Patrol agents. The migrants expect to be released into the United States to await the lengthy asylum process. Border Patrol agents in the area say most will gain release unless background checks reveal a previous criminal history in the United States.
Nearly 300 Migrants are sheltered from the sun and guarded by Border Patrol agents near Lukeville, Arizona. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
At the rally point, Border Patrol agents took basic biographical information and sorted the migrants into groups for transport to a processing facility. Border Patrol agents say the influx of migrants from around the world is steady in Lukeville. One agent, not authorized to speak to the media, told Breitbart Texas, “The constant barrage of migrants surrendering leaves us little else to do but replenish supplies, arrange for transport to the station, process, and get ready for the next day.”
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Border Patrol agents in the vicinity spoke about the difficulty of dealing with nationals from so many countries in one single group. The language barriers between the migrants and the agents who only speak English and Spanish create huge delays in the hours-long process of interviewing and processing the migrants.
In August, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector apprehended nearly 49,000 migrants, according to unofficial reports reviewed by Breitbart Texas. The number is a more than 160 percent jump from the 18,506 apprehended in August of 2022.
According to CBP, between October and July, more than 1.6 million migrants crossed into the United States at the southern border. According to unofficial reports reviewed by Breitbart Texas, just under 180,000 migrants were apprehended in August, bringing the total migrant encounters across the southwest border to more than 1.8 million.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, nearly 600,000migrants have managed to avoid capture by the Border Patrol since October and are listed as “Got-Aways.”
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.