Approximately 1,000 migrants braved near-freezing temperatures in the Arizona desert close to Lukeville after crossing the border wall and waiting to be processed by the Border Patrol.
As most border facilities are overcrowded and transport resources are limited to serve this remote area, many of these migrants have been spending days sleeping in the wilderness, striving for their freedom into America to apply for asylum.
On Saturday morning, Breitbart Texas arrived at Lukeville, Arizona as a restricted number of Border Patrol agents monitored hundreds of individuals from various countries such as Pakistan, the Middle East, China, Ecuador and several West African nations.
To keep warm while waiting for days to be authorized by the Border Patrol , these migrants collected branches from nearby shrubs in Organ Pipe National Monument reserve to build fires.
Temperatures dropped significantly during early hours on Saturday as they persisted through cold weather with a goal of handing themselves over to officials.
Migrants wait in a makeshift camp at the base of a border wall near Lukeville, Arizona. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
As the fires burned out, some migrants had no choice but to enter the federally protected reserve area to strip branches from small trees for fuel.
With no bathroom facilities available, they were forced to perform bodily functions in the area while awaiting transport to a processing facility.
The remoteness of Lukeville and other migrant groups apprehended within the Tucson Sector resulted in few buses and vans arriving to transport them away from the location.
Migrants gather around fire to keep warm in near freezing temperatures. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
As transportation became available, some migrants were apprehended and directed to a gathering site near the Lukeville Port of Entry.
Upon arrival, basic biographical data was collected, personal possessions were documented, and the individuals were then transported on buses and vans.
Migrants moved to rally point to await transportation. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Located more than 100 miles away on the Tohono O’odham Nation Reservation near San Miguel, Arizona, hundreds of migrants are being guarded by Border Patrol agents.
These agents are competing for limited transportation resources to remove the migrants from the elements.
As there can be up to 3,000 migrants crossing into this sector on some days, the Border Patrol is struggling under the strain of having insufficient resources to cope with such a demand.
Migrants struggle to keep warm in a makeshift camp near the Arizona-Mexico border. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
The US Border Patrol reported that approximately 17,500 migrants were apprehended in the Tucson Sector over the last week of November.
This number does not include those who waited days to be registered into an agency database and begin the asylum process. It was also revealed that most of these individuals would be released to shelters in Tucson and Phoenix where they could continue on their journey into other parts of the US.
Breitbart Texas reported that 190,000 migrants illegally entered the US through its southern border in November alone.
The Tucson Sector has remained at the forefront with 119,000 apprehensions during October and November combined.
ICYMI: Over 700 Illegals Walk Across Open Border into Lukeville, Arizona in Just a Few Hours
