Border Patrol had 22,000 illegal immigrants in custody after releasing thousands into the country

The Border Patrol had more than 22,000 illegal immigrants in custody while releasing thousands more as of Tuesday afternoon, according to internal agency data obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Border Patrol reached 97 percent capacity nationwide as of Tuesday afternoon, with several stations and sectors greatly exceeding holding space, according to the data. In addition, the Border Patrol released 6,481 illegal immigrants into the interior of the country on Monday to await their immigration adjudication.

The Border Patrol nationwide had approximately 20,000 migrants detained as of Nov. 29. seconds to the internal data that the DCNF obtained at the time.

Arizona's Ajo station was 546 percent full by Tuesday afternoon as a massive surge of migrants overwhelmed the Tucson. sectorwhich has seen the shutdown of Border Patrol social media, training and closures of checkpoints and ports of entry.

The increase has also forced the Border Patrol to call reinforcements from the coastal and northern borders to virtually help process migrants who have crossed illegally, according to an internal agency memo recently obtained by the DCNF. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents and air marshals are also helping to address the influx in the area, according to federal officials. he said the DCNF.

“The last thread of morale we have is gone. If I didn't have so many years of service, I'd be screwed. I love my job when I'm able to do it tracking groups, being in the vehicle unit all land, but this administration has killed it,” a Border Patrol agent overseeing the increase. he said the DCNF.

“It's extremely frustrating. Our national security is non-existent,” a second agent told the DCNF.

Neither Customs and Border Protection (CBP) nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immediately responded to DCNF's requests for comment.

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