One of the sources, a senior administration official, said the White House has kept this option on the table for some time, but is now considering it more seriously.

“Depending on the severity of crisis, it’s always been an option. Now that things are getting worse, we are looking at how that could be operationalized and used to confront the crisis,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity…

However, the numbers of border crossers are not at all-time highs. Fiscal year 2018, which ended Sept. 30, saw a lower numbers of illegal border crossings than fiscal year 2014 or fiscal year 2016.