New Mexico: Over 600 “illegal” migrants were apprehended from Sunland Park and Antelope Wells here in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Around 424 migrants were detained after midnight in Sunland Park, while 230 refugees were arrested from Antelope Wells here at around 2 am, as per Sputnik.
“This is an ongoing situation that US Border Patrol agents are facing in southern New Mexico: hundreds of parents and children being encountered by agents after having faced a dangerous journey in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers”, CBP said in a statement.
The agency further accused criminal organisations of continuing “to exploit innocent human lives in order to enhance their illicit activities without due regard to the risks of human life”.
“In most cases, these smugglers never cross the border themselves in order to avoid apprehension,” CBP said.
US President Donald Trump has often voiced his disdain regarding the influx of migrants from the US-Mexico border, calling for the construction of a wall on the border. The Democrats have repeatedly objected to this proposal, slamming Trump’s demand for funds towards the barrier’s construction.
In fact, an impasse between the US lawmakers and Trump regarding funding for the wall led to the country experiencing its longest-ever shutdown recently.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]