Fox 5 New York reports that United States Border Patrol near El Paso, TX arrested hundreds of illegal aliens earlier this week after groups of mostly Central American families attempted to sneak into the country. In total on Wednesday, Border Patrol apprehended more than 500 illegal aliens between the two caravans including an escaped federal inmate, sex offenders, and unaccompanied children as young as two years old.

The two largest caravans were stopped on Wednesday morning, but agents apprehended several smaller groups throughout the day as well. According to Fox 5, "Agents apprehended a group of 112 illegal aliens at the border wall near downtown El Paso just after midnight Wednesday. At about the same time agents working further east were processing a group of 252 aliens apprehended at the border just west of a high school."

Fox 5 also reports that the aforementioned sex offenders were arrested in different groups and each had previously served jail time for perverted acts before being deported from the United States. Likewise, a violent criminal who had previously escaped federal prison was also discovered attempting to reenter the country. Many children without parents were also apprehended in these caravans containing such dangerous individuals.

Border Patrol data show a sharp increase in families trying to enter the country, however, based on the fact many of these children were unaccompanied, it should be questioned how many trying to claim entry as families are actually blood-related. As noted by Fox 5, " The data showed the greatest increase in the El Paso Sector where family groups are up 1,689% when compared to same period last year." These arrests come just days after authorities released information showing that more than 76,000 people attempted to illegally cross the border in February, the highest it has been since 2007.