US shatters record for border stops in single year — despite June drop
They just keep coming.
The US recorded more stops along the Mexico border so far in Fiscal 2022 than in any accounting year in the 20-year history of the Department of Homeland Security — with three months still to go.
In all, 207,416 migrant encounters were recorded in June, according to US Customs and Border Protection, for a total of 1,746,119 stops along the southern border since Oct. 1 — the most the agency has recorded for any fiscal year since 1960.
And the number of migrant encounters along the southern border hit that mark despite dropping 14% in June from May’s record high, according to data released by the Biden administration Friday.
Nationwide, border officials have encountered more than 2 million migrants since Oct. 1, 2021.
Fewer than half of those encountered in June — 92,274 — were expelled under the Trump-era Title 42 order, which has allowed rapid removal of migrants before their asylum claims are heard due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The number of unaccompanied children stopped at the border rose by 4% last month to 15,271 — with 752 being held on average per day in CBP custody. The number of family units apprehended slipped 13% to 51,780.
Encounters with lone adults made up 68% of June’s total, but dropped 15% from May to 140,197 — and only 56% of those adults were processed for expulsion under Title 42.
Lawmakers have blamed the Biden administration’s policies for the increase in border-crossers since the president took office in January 2021, after Biden pledged during the 2020 election campaign to reverse Donald Trump’s more restrictive and controversial policies. The Department of Homeland Security has since scrapped most construction on Trump’s ballyhooed border wall, reversed the “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum-seekers, attempted to end Title 42, and changed policy so that having entered the US illegally is not cause for deportation.
The changes have not gone unnoticed — even by the migrants themselves.
“First of all, he does not separate families,” one Colombian said in October. “Second, one can wait less, when before it was six months. Now it goes by faster to wait under asylum.”
A female migrant told a Daily Caller reporter at the time that it was easier to cross the border now than during the Trump administration.
“He’s giving us immigration opportunities,” the woman said of Biden. “He’s not selfish like President Trump because that man … he’s too bad and very racist, and we need a society that supports each other and not one that criticizes us because we are all the same.”
“We thank [Biden] very much because he’s supporting us. God bless him,” she added through a translator.
In March of last year, a South American migrant told ABC News that he would “definitely not” have come to the US if Trump was still in office. When asked if he came because Biden was elected, the man told the outlet: “Basically.”
Migrant encounters along the southern border hit record highs in May as CBP officials reported a staggering 239,416 encounters. As in June, fewer than half of those stopped — 100,699 — were expelled under Title 42 that month.
Border crossings were expected to decline last month due to hotter temperatures in the border region, but anecdotal evidence indicated that large migrant crossings were ongoing.
Stunning video shared on social media last week showed hundreds of migrants illegally crossing the Rio Grande into Eagle Pass, Texas, reportedly led by human-smugglers.
“Customs and Border Protection agents encountered more than 207,000 illegal aliens at our southern border in June. This is highest total for the month of June on record,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) tweeted. “Since the Biden Admin refuses to act, states must use their invasion declaration rights.”
“President Biden’s inaction at the border means more American deaths to fentanyl. Does he recognize the correlation and just not care enough to do something about it?” Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) posted.
“The past two days, I surveyed the crisis on the border and it is the worst I’ve ever seen,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Saturday.
“This human tragedy is getting worse and worse and yet Biden, Harris, and the Democrats don’t give a damn about it!”
While Biden has repeatedly defended his administration’s border policies, the then-president-elect warned in December 2020 that any quick reform would trigger a rush of “2 million people on our border” — the milestone met last month.
“I’ve already started discussing these issues with the president of Mexico and our friends in Latin America and the timeline is to do it so that we in fact make it better, not worse,” Biden said at the time. “The last thing we need is to say we’re going to stop immediately the, you know, the access to asylum the way it’s being run now and end up with 2 million people on our border.”
Prior to last month, the highest number of migrants encountered in a fiscal year was 1,734,686 in FY 2021. Before that, the highest was 1,643,679 in FY 2000.
