The people arriving at the United States' southern border are no longer Mexican migrants, mostly men, in search of jobs, but a steady stream of asylum-seekers, NBC News reports.
The Obama administration said Monday that the prevailing view of the border is outdated, and that more Central Americans were seized along the border than Mexicans in fiscal year 2016, only the second year that's happened.
And that demographic puts a unique strain on the immigration system, since many are asylum seekers whom border agents can't simply turn them or deport.
"Walls alone cannot prevent illegal migration," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement Monday. "Ultimately, the solution is long-term investment in Central America to address the underlying push factors in the region."
