Tucson Standard

Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol made 1.9 million arrests at the southern border in the year 2021. 

This comes as new data proves this record-high number is a reflection of the rising number of attempted crossings, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Arizona’s Attorney General Mark Brnovich is speaking out about the state’s power under the Constitution to take action against illegal immigration issues at its border. In a statement to Fox News, Brnovich defended his rights laid out in Article I, stating the state has the power to defend itself. 

“The violence and lawlessness at the border caused by transnational cartels and gangs satisfies the definition of an 'invasion' under the U.S. Constitution, and Arizona therefore has the power to defend itself from this invasion under the Governor's authority as Commander-in-Chief,” Brnovich said. 

In the year 2019, Border Patrol agents reportedly made 851,508 arrests at the southern border. The 1.9 million arrests in 2021 represents nearly a 95% increase in arrests over just a two-year span. As a result, border patrol agents have reportedly grown frustrated with a lack of effort to curb the high number of migrants, former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott told the Wall Street Journal. 

Republican attorneys recently filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration concerning illegal immigration. As the case has made its way through court, data has been disclosed showing that only 20% of the arrested migrants were released into the U.S. to await hearings on their asylum applications, down 56% from the pre-pandemic surge, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Of the 1.9 million arrested for illegally crossing the border, 402,000 migrants were released into the U.S. while the rest were sent back to their home countries or Mexico under Title 42. Title 42 is a public-health law which Trump began using to turn migrants back to their countries before they could claim asylum in the U.S.