12,081 illegal aliens were apprehended from 48 separate countries in the U.S Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector during this past week, reported the Tucson Standard.

The publication was reporting on data shared on X by John R. Modlin, Chief Patrol Agent of the sector:

Arizona State Sen. Janae Shamp (R-Surprise) said the numbers are further evidence that we are in “the thick of an invasion,” telling the NW Valley Times:

Thanks to the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure our border, the illegal activity – including an unprecedented amount of human smuggling and drug smuggling—are no longer mere issues. We are in the thick of an invasion. It’s time to take the handcuffs off our sheriffs who have been elected to protect the citizens of Arizona, which is why I introduced the Arizona Border Invasion Act – SB 1231.

Shamp’s bill would make it a crime in Arizona to cross the border from Mexico into the state, except through official ports of entry. It would also provide liability protections for state and local officials who enforce the law.

In addition to the illegal alien apprehensions, Modlin also reported there were also 23 human smuggling events, which makes 66 such events reported during the past three weeks in the Tucson Sector.