More than 200K African, Asian migrants crossed US southern border during ballooning crisis: data

The crowds of migrants pouring across the U.S. southern border include hundreds of thousands of people from as far away as China, India and Africa, recent federal government statistics show. Arrests of migrants from countries such as Senegal, Mauritania, China and India entering via Mexico tripled to 214,000 during the fiscal year that ended in September, from 70,000 in the prior fiscal year, according to US Customs and Border Protection data. The new groups, known as "Extracontinentals" are posing a challenge to federal authorities because deporting migrants back to Asian and African countries is time-consuming and expensive, according to the outlet. In Mexico, authorities reported a four-fold increase of migrants from Asia and Africa this year, the Journal reported. Chinese migrants typically make their way to the US southern border after flying into Brazil, Ecuador or Nicaragua, which have limited visa requirements for some nationalities. Migrants from India more often fly to Mexico City from Europe, or cross the border through Canada, according to reports. CBP data shows there were 189,402 encounters at the northern border in the fiscal year that ended in September, a 73 percent leap from the 109,535 the prior year and a nearly sevenfold surge from two years ago.