EXCLUSIVE: Facing a massive ongoing surge of illegal immigration at the U.S. border, Texas authorities have launched a new elite task force -- including K9s and drones -- in order to track down and apprehend the record number of illegal aliens slipping past Border Patrol and into the U.S.

Fox News embedded with the strike force, which is part of Operation Lone Star, and saw as the teams went into the brush and arrested group after group of single adult men actively seeking to evade Border Patrol. 

The new unit is composed of troopers, drone operators and tracking K9s. The Texas Department of Public Safety told Fox that its purpose is to augment resources for U.S. Border Patrol "in detecting, tracking and apprehending illegal immigrants who evade and avoid capture from law enforcement." It also gathers intelligence, disrupts human smuggling and identifies scouts.

"This is in part due to the unprecedented number of gotaways," spokesperson Lt. Christopher Olivarez told Fox. "We will continue to deploy specialized teams and task forces in strategic areas to address threats against public safety and provide support to our federal partners."

OVER 73,000 ‘GOTAWAYS’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER IN NOVEMBER, HIGHEST EVER RECORDED

While the U.S. has been dealing with a historic number of migrant encounters at the southern border, it has also been tackling record numbers of "gotaways" -- illegal immigrants who slip past overwhelmed agents.

There were more than 73,000 "gotaways" in November alone, meaning there are already over 137,000 for this fiscal year. In FY2022 there were nearly 600,000 gotaways. There were 389,155 gotaways at the border in FY2021.

The November numbers means that there have been an average of at least 2,400 people evading Border Patrol every day.

The data also indicates that there have been at least 207,000 migrant encounters in November, which would be significantly higher than the 174,000 encountered in November last year, and the 72,113 encountered in November 2020.

In one single morning Fox News saw the new unit make 50 apprehensions -- all single adults attempting to run past agents. They were from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Among there was a scout armed with an AK-47.

Fox also caught on video cartel scouts across the river from Mexico. Scouts used radios and even drones as they looked to track and monitor law enforcement to work out when and where they can push illegal immigrants across into the areas of La Joya and Mission. 

SOUTHERN BORDER SECTOR SEES MASSIVE SPIKE IN ILLEGAL MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AS TITLE 42'S END APPROACHES

Texas has been taking unprecedented measures in order to tackle the border crisis, which Gov. Greg Abbott says is not being adequately dealt with by the Biden administration. Abbott recently declared an invasion at the border, and deployed tactical vehicles along the border to protect troops from cartel activity.

Meanwhile, the border is facing a potential additional surge in illegal immigration with the looming end of Title 42 -- a Trump-era public health authority due to expire by court order on Dec. 21. The order has been used to expel a majority of migrants at the border since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The expiration of the order has sparked concerns from both Republicans and Democrats that it will lead to a new surge in migrants who think they have a better chance of being released into the U.S. 

The Biden administration has acknowledged those concerns, but says it has a plan in place to deal with the increase in numbers -- including by cracking down on human smuggling, surging resources to the border, and increasing the use of alternative removal authorities.

President Biden caused controversy earlier this week when he said that he was not visiting the southern border while in Arizona, saying "there are more important things going on."

Republican lawmakers on Thursday criticized President Biden for a deal that returned WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison camp, but failed to free Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine veteran who has been jailed in Russia since 2018 on spying charges that the U.S. government has said are baseless.

In return for Griner, the U.S. agreed to send convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death," back to Russia. Several Republicans said that was a bad deal given the serious charges against Bout, and that Biden missed a chance to get Whelan.

"If @POTUS is going to release a guy convicted of providing aid to a terrorist organization & conspiring to kill American citizens, he should have at least gotten BOTH Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan in return," tweeted Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. "A U.S. Marine is left behind in another bad deal made by Biden."

BRITTNEY GRINER RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN PRISON IN SWAP FOR CONVICTED ARMS DEALER

"Where is U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly held by Russia for far longer?" tweeted Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla. "Celebrities over veterans?"

"SO @POTUS just traded an enemy who smuggles guns and helps shoot Americans for an American who smuggles drugs and shoots basketballs, all while a former US Marine, Paul Whelan, rots in a Russian prison," tweeted Rep. Scott Perry, R-PA. "Let that sink in."

"President Biden just gave Russia its ‘Merchant of Death’ back while U.S. Marine Paul Whelan is left locked up in a Russian prison," tweeted Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich. "We need justice for Paul. He should be on that plane coming home too."

BRITTNEY GRINER'S LEGAL TEAM MET WITH WNBA STAR AT RUSSIAN PENAL COLONY: 'DOING AS WELL AS COULD BE EXPECTED'

A Republican who just won a seat in the November midterm election, John Block of New Mexico, ripped the deal and said it favors Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The Biden regime literally swapped Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout (the Merchant of Death) in Russia," he tweeted. "Can’t make this stuff up… Biden just gave Putin exactly what he wanted."

Other Republicans were less critical but said there is more work to do to get Whelan and other Americans home. "I will continue my work with @RepHaleyStevens until all Americans wrongfully detained abroad are free," tweeted Rep. French Hill, R-Ark.

Some House Democrats made similar points. Texas Rep. Colin Allred agreed that the U.S. "must remain committed to getting every American detained abroad back home."

WHO IS VIKTOR BOUT, RUSSIA'S ‘MERCHANT OF DEATH’ FREED IN PRISONER SWAP FOR BRITTNEY GRINER?

"While we are very happy that Brittany Griner is returning home, we cannot forget we still have Americans unlawfully detained in Russia – specifically Paul Whelan," tweeted Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass. "I have been in touch with his family, and they and Paul deserve all of our country’s efforts to bring him home."

Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Andy Levin, D-Mich., all tweeted that more work is needed to ensure the safe return of all Americans.