Washington (CNN) A surge of migrants along the US-Mexico border has US Customs and Border Protection at the "breaking point," the Trump administration said Tuesday.

More than 76,000 people were apprehended crossing illegally or without proper papers in February, the highest number of "encounters" in any February in the last 12 years, according to CBP.

"The system is well beyond capacity and remains at the breaking point," CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan told reporters.

Of the 76,000, 7,250 were unaccompanied children and 40,385 were people who came with family members.

The increase in families and unaccompanied children crossing the border marks a significant change in demographics -- and a challenge to CBP, as in previous years single adults had largely been a majority of those crossing the border.

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