Number Of Migrant Encounters At Southern Border On Pace To Surpass Previous Record Year

Migrant encounters for fiscal year 2023 so far are on pace to surpass the record of more than 2.3 million that were recorded crossing in fiscal year 2022, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data updated Friday.

Encounters of migrants between October 2022 and August hit 2,206,039, compared to 2,378,944 in all of fiscal year 2022, according to the data, which includes illegal crossings between ports of entry and legal crossings at ports. In August alone, Border Patrol encountered roughly 181,000 migrants that crossed illegally.

Additionally, more than 45,000 migrants utilized the CBP One phone application to book entry appointments at ports along the southern border, according to CBP.

“CBP remains vigilant in the face of ruthless smugglers and transnational criminal organizations who exploit vulnerable migrants, the same criminal organizations trafficking in lethal drugs that harm our communities,” Troy A. Miller, the senior official performing the duties of the commissioner, said in a statement Friday.

“Our operational tempo along the border has increased in response to increased encounters, and we remain squarely focused on our broader security mission and enforcing U.S. immigration laws. We are maximizing consequences against those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, including by processing more individuals into expedited removal than ever before.”

During the month of August, the Biden administration said it was “stopping the flow” at the southern border.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will visit the southern border on Saturday alongside the Socialist president of Honduras as a surge continues in the region.

In Eagle Pass, Texas, the mayor recently declared a state of emergency after thousands of migrants arrived illegally within days.