Unaccompanied migrant children encounters set record in El Paso sector

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Border Patrol Sector reported that a record number of unaccompanied migrant children have been encountered by agents in Fiscal Year 2021.

The agency said that as of Aug. 31, more than 20,950 unaccompanied children had been encountered by El Paso Sector agents. The El Paso Sector includes a small portion of West Texas and all of New Mexico.

The previous record was set in Fiscal Year 2019, when agents encountered 16,159 unaccompanied children.

El Paso Sector Chief Gloria Chavez said in a statement:

"Transnational Criminal Organizations continue to exploit the most vulnerable population - children from foreign countries. They are responsible for placing the lives of thousands of unaccompanied children at risk by manipulating their parents and later abandoning their children at the border.”

Fiscal Year 2021 ends on Sept. 30, so the record number of encounters will increase once the agency compiles its updated data.