(NewsNation) — U.S. border authorities encountered a record-setting number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in September, with more than 260,000 encounters reported by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The previous record was set in December 2022, when CPB officials reported 252,320 migrant encounters.
September’s tally is on pace to bring the yearly total to more than 2.4 million encounters — up from 2,378,944 in 2022.
The number of migrants caught crossing illegally or presenting themselves at legal border crossings has steadily risen after dropping in mid-May when the U.S. rolled out stricter new asylum rules.
Migrant encounters shot up 26% from June to July, and the latest data shows another 27% increase from 183,494 in July to 232,972 in August. Border Patrol apprehensions had a sharper increase, going from 132,648 to 181,059, or up 37%, from July to August.
The spike has overwhelmed law enforcement agencies along the border which are operating without enough resources to deal with the massive influx. Officials have had to release migrants into the streets in some cases.
In Texas, 2,000 people were reported seeking asylum in El Paso daily in September — up from about 400 per day in August.
The mayor of Eagle Pass, Texas, declared a state of emergency last month due to a “severe undocumented immigration surge” into the city.
President Joe Biden has grappled with a record number of migrants crossing illegally since he took office in 2021 and is already facing attacks over the issue as he runs for reelection in 2024.
Republicans blame Biden for reversing the hardline immigration policies of former President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced that it would grant nearly half a million Venezuelans already in the U.S. access to work permits following demands by Democratic state and city officials to help migrants work legally.