WESLACO – Border Patrol is seeing an increase in the number of apprehensions compared to last year.

Agents have seen the number of people crossing into the U.S. illegally more than double from one fiscal year to the next.

Border Patrol’s public information officer, Robert Rodriguez, explains in October of fiscal year 2018, the Rio Grande Valley sector apprehended over 9,700 people in the country illegally.

For October, the first month of fiscal year 2019, over 20,700 people were apprehended, which is more than twice as many apprehensions compared to last year.   

"Because of the increase in apprehensions we are experiencing, we have to pull manpower from the field to process these individuals," explains Rodriguez.

KRGV’s John Paul Barajas spoke with several Rio Grande Valley residents to get their take on this steep increase.

Watch the video above for the full story.