Large groups of Central American migrants continue to surrender to Border Patrol agents in Arizona with the arrival of one recent group numbering 108 captured in dramatic video images, authorities said Friday.
The agency said camera operators monitoring movement Thursday afternoon along the U.S.-Mexico border in the Yuma area captured images of a large number of people being dropped over the border wall east of the San Luis Port of Entry.
It said the smugglers never crossed the border while they helped migrants over the wall in four places. The group was comprised of 100 Guatemalans and eight Hondurans. They included 52 children, nine of them 5 years and younger.
The mass crossing occurred while another drama was being played out much farther south as a caravan of several thousand Central American migrants traveled northbound, prompting President Donald Trump to warn Mexico to stop them from reaching the U.S. border.
Arizona Border Patrol agents for weeks have been overwhelmed by the arrival of large numbers of Central American migrants traveling in families.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Arizona earlier this month began releasing hundreds of people to await court dates, saying it didn't have the capacity to hold an "incredibly high volume" of migrant families showing up at the border.
"Coordinated smuggling of large numbers of Central Americans is taking place daily here," Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Porvaznik said in a written statement.
Before the arrival of the latest group, authorities said that collectively more than 1,400 migrants had been left by smugglers in the broiling desert — or in one case in a drenching thunderstorm — in remote areas by Arizona's border with Mexico since Aug. 20. One group was as large as 275 people.
Unlike Texas, where people turn themselves in on the banks of the Rio Grande, the smugglers near Arizona have been dumping groups of migrant families near Yuma, or farther to the east on a remote dirt road running along the southern limit of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near the Lukeville Port of Entry.
While Mexican men traveling without relatives once made up the bulk of the migrants, Guatemalans and other Central Americans traveling in families or as unaccompanied minors are now the norm.
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SUPREME COURT-TRUMP-CAPITOL RIOT — AP Explains the latest election subversion case before the Supreme Court: Whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Includes an AP reporter debrief from last week's hearing on whether federal prosecutors went too far in bringing obstruction charges against hundreds of participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Newsroom Ready and Consumer Ready edits sent on April 16.
ELECTION 2024-US TERRITORIES — What to know about living in U.S. territories ahead of the 2024 election. Newsroom Ready and Consumer Ready edits.
7 a.m. — Live US Network Pool Cameras and Live AP Cameras outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington where justices are hearing arguments on presidential immunity. Live cameras on protesters amid supporters outside, along with live reaction from lawyers. Audio livestream also booked.
7 a.m. — Live AP Camera coverage outside of Trump Tower in New York is planned.
8:30 a.m. — Live NY Trump Pool coverage outside of the courthouse in New York is planned.
ELECTION 2024-PENNSYLVANIA-HALEY — When Nikki Haley suspended her presidential campaign, she refused to endorse Donald Trump as the last remaining major candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination — and so did some of her supporters in Pennsylvania. SENT: 480 words, photo.
BIDEN-FUNDRAISER — President Joe Biden is scheduled to attend a campaign fundraiser in Irvington, New York, on Thursday night. Hosts include Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. AP does not expect this event to be open to the media, but it will be traveling with the president and it will provide video edits and Live coverage if there is breaking news.
ELECTION 2024-DECISION NOTES-PUERTO RICO — Puerto Rico will hold a Democratic presidential primary Sunday, the only opportunity for Democrats on the island to officially weigh in on the race for the White House. Sent April 24: 970 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-TRUMP-CAPITOL RIOT — Supreme Court justices seem to agree on a basic truth about the American system of government: No one is above the law, not even the president. But former President Donald Trump and his legal team are putting that truth to the test when the high court takes up Trump’s bid to avoid prosecution over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. SENT: 780 words, photo. UPCOMING: 1,100 words after 10 a.m. arguments. With TRUMP-CAPITOL RIOT-LISTENERS’ GUIDE — What to listen for during Supreme Court arguments on Trump and presidential immunity. Sent April 24.
TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — A judge is weighing whether to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court for what prosecutors say have been repeated violations of the gag order in his hush money criminal trial. Jurors are also expected to hear more testimony from David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, about the tabloid’s involvement in a scheme to benefit Trump. SENT: 650 words, photos. UPCOMING: 990 words after trial resumes at 9:30 a.m.
BIDEN — President Biden heads to upstate New York to tout his administration’s efforts to promote computer chip manufacturing in the U.S. SENT: 760 words, photos. UPCOMING: Speech at 2 p.m. Video edits and Live planned.
FAKE ELECTORS-INDICTMENT-ARIZONA — An Arizona grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump ’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyer Rudy Giuliani and 16 others for their efforts to use so-called fake electors to try to overturn Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. SENT: 1,200 words, photos, audio. With ELECTION 2020-MICHIGAN-FAKE ELECTORS — Investigator said Trump, allies were uncharged co-conspirators in plot to overturn Michigan election.
ELECTION 2024-BIDEN-TIKTOK — President Joe Biden’s signing of legislation that could ban TikTok in the U.S. runs counter to his campaign’s embrace of the platform and outreach to influencers. The president is also facing criticism from some avid users of the app. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.
ELECTION-2024-BIDEN-UNION — President Joe Biden picked up the endorsement of North America’s Building Trades Unions where the president and his allies set out to dismantle Republican Donald Trump’s reputation as a successful real estate developer. SENT: 380 words, photos, audio.
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President Joe Biden speaks before signing a $95 billion Ukraine aid package that also includes support for Israel, Taiwan, and other allies, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
