Over 100,000 migrants encountered at southern border in September

( NewsNation ) — A total of 101,385 migrants were encountered at the southern border in September, bringing the total to more than 2 million reported for this fiscal year.

In the Del Rio, Texas, sector Friday, NewsNation crews saw two different groups of over 100 people cross the border into the Eagle Pass area, just outside of Shelby Park even though Gov. Greg Abbott has that area fortified.

The group was made up of people from Venezuela, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Among them were 17 unaccompanied children.

In the same area, a group of 165 migrants from places designated as “special interest” countries by the United States were apprehended by the Texas Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol last week. Places the migrants were from included Iran, Egypt, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Special interest countries are those that don’t give the United States access to databases, meaning migrants from them will require additional screening, interviews and vetting.

According to data obtained through sources in August, there were 40 migrants from special interest countries who came through the border, followed by 75 in September. Now just 17 days into October, that number has already surpassed 180 — something that law enforcement say is a concern.

“It baffles my mind how they’re never prepared, and it’s always a knee-jerk reaction. Again, the big concern is the gotaways, as I’ve always said,” Art Del Cueto of the Executive Board of the National Border Patrol Council told NewsNation. “A lot of these individuals, they’re not carrying any IDs, they’re not in any database, so you pretty much have to take their word for it and deal with the vetting that you do have at your hands.”

Sometimes, these big groups of people going across the border once are used as a distraction. Because several agents are responding to them at once, that leaves vulnerabilities on the line along the southern border.

Sources say runners are breaking free from these groups, hiding throughout neighborhoods in the area before getting picked up and ending up in the smuggling loads.

Sinaloa Cartel infighting exacerbates issues at border

Abbott has spent millions to close of Texas to migrants who want to cross unlawfully — but despite these efforts, Texas has become the path of least resistance.

Rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel battling each other have caused issues in Arizona and California, making it a more dangerous route now. Many migrants are finding their way back to Texas as a result, where they may contend with razor wire fences , but avoid the Improvised Explosive Devices and grenades reportedly found on the Mexican side of the border near other states.

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