Border Patrol is facing new difficulties as smugglers are leading migrants into the isolated Arizona desert

For the first time since 2008, the Tucson Sector of the Border Patrol experienced the highest volume of traffic along the U.S.-Mexico border in July. Social media is luring young people to the new path to the border, which starts in Nicaragua, from far-off nations like Pakistan, China, and Mauritania. Along with more frequent border crossers from Mexico and Central America, there are significant numbers from Ecuador, Bangladesh, and Egypt.

According to Tucson Sector Deputy Chief Justin De La Torre of the Border Patrol, "Right now we are encountering people from all over the world." "This situation has been extremely urgent and difficult." 

In order to get migrants "out of the elements and into our processing centers as quickly as possible," De La Torre said, the patrol is appealing to other organizations, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration.

The first weekend of August, Border Patrol agents from the small Ajo Station, a half-hour drive north of the border, came across several large groups, including one of 533 people from 17 different countries in the region surrounding the national monument, a rocky desert expanse dotted with cactus, creosote, and whip-like ocotillo. In July, the Tucson Sector made 39,215 arrests, an increase of 60% from June. Officials blame the sudden inflow on smugglers' deceptive advertising, which claims it's simpler for migrants to pass here and be released into the United States.

Before being transported to the Ajo Station, which is located some 30 miles (48 kilometers) along a two-lane state highway, migrants are first driven to the intake facility, where agents collect names, countries of origin, and other information.

According to U.S. official statistics, arrests for crossing the border illegally increased 33% from June to July along the nearly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) U.S.-Mexico border, reversing a decline following the implementation of tougher asylum restrictions in May. The government of President Joe Biden observes that despite the decline in illegal crossings that month compared to July 2022 and gives thanks to the "carrot-and-stick" strategy that broadens legitimate entry points while cracking down on unauthorized ones.