Border Patrol agents nabbed more than 204,000 illegal immigrants at the southern border last month, setting a new record for the month of October — though officials said they had made some progress.
After announcing a new get-tough policy on Venezuelan migrants, officials said their number dropped from 1,100 a day to about 300 a day.
But Cubans and Nicaraguans have surged, accounting for nearly 50,000 of the Border Patrol apprehensions.
“This reflects the challenge that is gripping the hemisphere, as displaced populations flee authoritarianism, corruption, violence and poverty,” said Troy Miller, acting commissioner at Customs and Border Protection.