U.S. border agents apprehended nearly 100,000 people at southern border in April - data

FILE PHOTO: Migrants approach the Bravo river at the border line between Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso in Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. border officers apprehended nearly 99,000 people crossing the U.S. southern border in April, the highest figure since 2007, the government said on Wednesday, as Trump administration officials decried what they call a humanitarian and security crisis.

The steady increase in migrant arrivals, which has been building over the past several months, is driven by a growing number of children and families, especially from Central America. Many of the individuals surrender to border officials and request asylum in the United States because they fear violence and persecution in their home countries.