WASHINGTON -- Today, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Press Secretary Tyler Q. Houlton released the following statement on U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Southwest Border Migration numbers for August:

"August Southwest Border Migration numbers show a clear indicator that the migration flows are responding to gaps in our nation’s legal framework. While the overall numbers are consistent with an expected seasonal increase, the number of family units along the Southwest border increased 38 percent – 3,500 more than July and the highest August on record. Smugglers and traffickers understand our broken immigration laws better than most and know that if a family unit illegally enters the U.S. they are likely to be released into the interior. Specifically, DHS is required to release families entering the country illegally within 20 days of apprehension.

"We know that the vast majority of family units who have been released, despite having no right to remain in any legal status, fail to ever depart or be removed. Through the third quarter of FY 2018, only 1.4 percent of family units have been repatriated to their home country from noncontiguous countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

"Secretary Nielsen and this Administration are committed to using all resources available to gain operational control of the U.S. border, to uphold our nation’s immigration laws as passed by Congress, and to work with Congress to fix this broken system."

CBP's Southwest Border Migration Numbers for August can be found here.

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