WESLACO - New numbers show U.S. Border Patrol had a 23 percent increase in arrests during the 2016 fiscal year.

The Department of Homeland Security’s report, released Friday, showed the agency apprehended more than 415,000 people from September 30, 2015 to September 30, 2016.

Last year’s statistics showed more than 337,000 people were detained during the same period.

Border Patrol said Central Americans attempting to enter the country illegally helped drive the increase.

The most recent numbers are Border Patrol’s fifth lowest arrest tally since 1972. In 2000, they arrested 1.7 million people.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson credited decades of spending on border security for the sharp decline in arrests.

Link: DHS Report on Increased Apprehensions for 2016