Immigration authorities are encountering an “unprecedented number of migrants” at the southern border, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Official numbers released yesterday show that authorities encountered migrants more than 212,000 times in July, including a record number of nearly 19,000 unaccompanied children and teens.

“The situation at the border is one of the toughest challenges we face,” Mayorkas said during a visit to Brownsville, Texas yesterday. “It is complicated, changing and involves vulnerable people at a time of a global pandemic.”