Migrants at the US-Mexico Border Gradually Increase for the Fourth Month in a Row

Immigrant children detained in hotels in the US 0:57

(CNN) -

Customs and Border Protection encountered nearly 50,000 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in August, Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan reported Friday, marking a jump from July when nearly 40,000 migrants were encountered. .

Morgan dismissed the spike on Friday, telling a news conference that as a result of a public health law, the administration can quickly expel migrants who are detained, a move that has been challenged in court and criticized by advocates of immigrants and legislators.

"The numbers become less relevant because the order [from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] gives us the authority and tools to do exactly what we need to do to protect Americans," Morgan said during the conference. press office in Laredo, Texas.

He also noted that there was an increase in the number of migrants repeatedly trying to enter the United States.

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Morgan tried to portray migrants as a threat to America's public health, saying they "continue to ignore medical experts and our laws in an attempt to enter the United States illegally on a daily basis."

President Donald Trump is known not to trust or follow the advice of experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease specialist.

When asked how many migrants tested positive, Morgan could not immediately provide a figure, saying that only a small percentage are in custody and the test is being run as a result of the public health order.

Morgan also touted the construction of Trump's border wall.

"The wall is and will continue to mitigate all these threats," he said.

"Without hesitation, we will make our promise and we will have 724 kilometers of wall system in the ground before the end of this calendar year."

Of the roughly 494 kilometers completed so far, the majority that has been built is in place of an old and dilapidated design and around 11 kilometers of barrier were built where none previously existed, according to CBP.

The southern border wall has been a cornerstone of the Trump presidency.

For the past three years, Trump has sparked controversy in his attempts to use military money to build the wall after Congress refused to provide the requested funds, raised insights about the wall's appearance and function that surprised officials, and He regularly cited the ongoing construction as an achievement.

“My administration has done more than any administration in history to secure our southern border.

Our border has never been more secure, "Trump said in June during a visit to the wall.

Since January 2017, about $ 15 billion has been identified to build approximately 1,187 kilometers of a new border wall system using money from DHS, DOD, and the Treasury Confiscation Fund.

That includes kilometers that have been built, those that are still under construction and kilometers in the pre-construction phase, according to CBP.

Trump set a goal of 724 kilometers to complete.

Yet to achieve that goal, the president has taken unprecedented steps to shore up funding, including last year's declaration of a national emergency.

His administration also waived numerous environmental and contract laws to speed up construction.

ICE detains more than 2,000 immigrants in the last month 0:48

In February 2019, Trump declared a national emergency to secure funding to build his signature wall.

The move paved the way for Trump to unlock billions of dollars in federal funding to build additional barriers on the southern border, bypassing Congress after lawmakers refused to comply with his multi-million dollar funding request.

This year, the White House renewed the emergency despite a drop in illegal border crossings.

The myriad ways the administration has sought to raise funds have prompted lawsuits across the country from states, environmental groups, and border communities.

At the center of the lawsuits is the accusation that the Trump administration bypassed Congress to get money for the wall.

"It is true that this is an attack on Congress, but it is also an attack on what our Constitution stands for," said Dror Ladin, the lead attorney in lawsuits challenging the construction of the border wall.

"Our Constitution was created to separate those powers in order to protect the people who would be harmed by executive spending."

Despite the cases rebounded in the lower courts, construction of the wall has largely been able to continue.

Earlier this summer, a divided Supreme Court allowed the continued construction of a portion of Trump's border wall as legal challenges unfold.

The dispute concerned the challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union to use $ 2.5 billion from the Pentagon to build parts of the wall along the southwestern border.

Mexico-US border.