US encounters 'unprecedented' number of migrants at southern border, Homeland Security chief says

The Biden administration is facing a "serious challenge" at the US southern border, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday, saying the US has encountered an "unprecedented" number of migrants illegally crossing the border.

During a news conference in Brownsville, Texas, Mayorkas stressed the sharp increase of migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border, many of whom are fleeing deteriorating conditions in their home countries.

In July, US Customs and Border Protection apprehended 212,672 people, up from June and amid some of the hottest summer weeks -- when arrests usually dip -- and of those, 95,788 individuals were expelled. Twenty-seven percent had previously tried to cross the border, Mayorkas said, acknowledging that a Trump-era policy that allows border authorities to turn migrants away has contributed to people trying to cross the border multiple times.

July marks the highest monthly number of migrants detained at the US-Mexico border in two decades.