DHS: Record 15,000 Illegal Families Arrested at US Border Last Month

More than 15,000 illegal immigrants traveling as families from Central America were arrested last month at the U.S.-Mexico border — the largest November on record and the second-worst overall, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security.

Border Patrol officers arrested a total of 47,214 illegal immigrants in November, 44 percent more than the same month last year, The Washington Times reports.

The figure included 7,000 children who were arrested as they traveled without parents, according to the data.

Customs and Border Protection, the agency that oversees the border, said that other groups coming include Haitians and Cubans, the Times reports.

"CBP continues to maintain a strong security posture through background checks of all individuals encountered and ensures that each person is processed in accordance with U.S. immigration laws and DHS policy," the agency said.

The agency also has opened new processing centers to accommodate the surge and has shifted 150 agents from other sites and sent them to the Texas border, according to the report.

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