The U.S. immigration system saw a 173 percent increase in migrant family units illegally crossing the border in July over last year. The apprehension of Family Unit Aliens (FMUA) fell slightly from June to July but remains at Obama-era levels.

The July Southwest Border Migration Report released on Wednesday morning by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials shows a slight decrease in the number of FMUAs arrested by Border Patrol agents between ports of entry. While the number of arrests remained relatively flat from June to July, they represent an increase of more than 170 percent when compared to July 2017.

In July 2018, Border Patrol agents arrested 9,258 family units who illegally crossed the border from Mexico between legal U.S. ports of entry. This number is down from June 2018’s reported 9,434 (a decrease of 179 — 1.86 percent). However, when compared to the July 2017 report, the number of family unit arrests jumped from 3,397 to this year’s 9,258 (a near 173 percent increase).

“The family unit apprehension number is the one that didn’t seem to move much,” Center for Immigration Studies Director of Policy Studies Jessica Vaughan told Breitbart Texas Wednesday morning. “Now, if Congress would do its part and fix the asylum loopholes, fund the immigration enforcement agencies, expand E-Verify and a number of other things, then American communities would see real relief from illegal immigration.”

Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary Tyler Q. Houlton agreed. “Despite our terribly broken immigration laws, the administration has still been able to impact illegal immigration – but we need Congress to act to fix our system,” Houlton said in a written statement on Wednesday.

“The number of family units apprehended at the border remains high and their percentage of total crossings has increased as court decisions prevent us from detaining and prosecuting family unit adults,” the press secretary continued. “The inability to apply consequences to any law breaker ultimately threatens the safety and security of the nation and its communities.”

The Rio Grande Valley Sector in South Texas continues to lead the nation in the apprehension of FMUAs who illegally cross the border from Mexico. So far this fiscal year, agents arrested 47,409 family units. This is up from 44,445 the previous fiscal year — a seven percent increase, the report states.

With increased enforcement efforts in Texas, smugglers appear to be moving their human cargo to the west. The Yuma, Tucson, and El Centro Sectors all saw massive increases in year-to-date apprehensions. In the Yuma Sector, apprehensions of family units jumped by 127 percent (4,735 in 2017 to 10,736 in 2018). The Tucson Sector saw a 95 percent increase (1,755 to 3,431) while the El Centro Sector saw a 58 percent increase (1,529 to 2,409).

Guatemalan families lead the list of those arrested with 37,226. This is followed by Honduras (28,135), El Salvador (9,838), and Mexico (1,737). The arrests of Guatemalan and Honduran families are up substantially this year while Salvadoran and Mexican arrests are down.