US brick-walled almost one million undocumented migrants in 12 months

United States border agents have stopped nearly one million undocumented migrants at the nation's southern border with Mexico in the past 12 months, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official on Tuesday.

"US border agents arrested or stopped nearly one million undocumented migrants at the nation's southern border with Mexico in the past 12 months," Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of CBP stated in a press brief at the White House, as quoted by CNN.

Morgan also said that "CBP enforcement actions at the border in the fiscal year 2019 involved 977,509 undocumented migrants, with a staggering 88 per cent growth from the previous year."

 

"These numbers are numbers that no immigration system in the world is designed to handle, including ours," Morgan added.

The acting commissioner also gave an update on the construction of physical barriers along the US-Mexico border, a pre-election promise made by President Donald Trump.

"To date, a total of 71 miles of new wall has already been constructed and by the end of 2020, CBP expects to have approximately 450 miles (724 km) of new border wall system constructed," she added.

Since Trump came into power Washington has tightened its immigration system, with curbing illegal immigration at the border a policy priority.

For far too long, the US President has been pressing for a border wall but the US Congress has repeatedly refused to approve funding for it, slammed by Democrats as costly and ineffective.

Earlier in September, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration's rule that dramatically limits the ability of Central American migrants to claim asylum to go into effect nationwide while the appeals process plays out.