The US Border Patrol in Maine arrested 113 undocumented immigrants in April, the highest number in a single month in nearly 24 years, officials said.
The surge of arrests in Maine, which has two so-called sanctuary counties in Cumberland and Hancock, forced officials to move 29 migrants to other parts of the country for processing, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
“Here in Maine, Border Patrol Agents are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to keep our border secure. If you attempt to cross the border illegally, you will be apprehended,” said acting Chief Patrol Agent Craig Shepley.
The increase in arrests, however, are not a result of more people illegally crossing the border into Maine, but instead from an increase in enforcement throughout the state, CBP noted.
The number of people crossing the border from Canada to Maine has plummeted in April, according to CBP, with 157,000 fewer crossings so far compared to last year.
Last month alone saw 78,000 fewer crossings when compared to the previous April.
Immigration arrests in Maine entered the national spotlight last year when one of President Trump’s advisers accused officials in Cumberland and Hancock counties of maintaining sanctuary policies and refusing to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, accused the counties’ policies of effectively making a “mockery of American democracy” and demonstrating “a shocking disrespect for the rule of law.”
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