Record-setting 276K migrants crossed southern border in December — and it isn’t over
The crisis at the besieged southern border reached new heights this week, with the number of migrant encounters in December already shattering records — even with the final three days of the month to still be tallied.
More than 276,000 asylum seekers hoping to cross the US-Mexico border have been encountered by US Customs and Border Protection agents in December, the highest number for a single month in history, according to the shocking preliminary data obtained by Fox News Friday.
That figure is expected to notably rise when the final three days are counted. Illegal crossings topped 10,000 on some days throughout the month.
The December total so far is up an astonishing 262% from December 2020, the final month of former President Donald Trump’s presidency — and eclipses the previous monthly record set in September, when 269,735 migrants were encountered, according to CBP statistics.
Meanwhile, there were more than 3.2 million migrant encounters overall nationwide in fiscal year 2023, of which 2.4 million were recorded at the southern border.
The nationwide total is almost equal to the number of births registered in the United States in 2022, when 3,667,758 new babies were born.
The December figure also includes 225,000 migrants taken into custody at the border during the first 27 days of December — also a record, internal federal statistics obtained by CBS News show.
The figures do not specify how many of those apprehended remain in government custody or are sent back. The stats also don’t include migrants showing up at official ports of entry to apply for asylum through a new app introduced by the Biden administration.
Roughly 50,000 migrants are funneled through that system each month, according to CBS.
Stunned lawmakers eviscerated the Biden administration Friday for the spiralling crisis.
“Yet another record broken by the Biden Administration,” wrote Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on X.
“The border is wide open. The President must take action immediately to stop the flow of drugs, terrorists and illegal immigrants.”
“Remember: December is SUPPOSED to be a ‘slower’ month for migrant apprehensions,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) seethed on X, laying blame on Biden’s Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas.
“Mayorkas’ border crisis is breaking its own records — and Americans are paying the cost. Accountability is coming.”
Officials are struggling to manage an accelerating influx of asylum seekers at overwhelmed border locations, with agents bracing for the arrival of a massive caravan of up to 15,000 migrants in the coming weeks.
“It’s an unsustainable number of arrivals,” Theresa Cardinal Brown, a former US immigration official under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told CBS.
“We can’t keep funding the system for more and more people. It’s challenging at every level.”
Since Oct. 1, there have been more than 760,000 migrant encounters at the border, according to data cited by Fox News.
Meanwhile, another 11,000 migrants are huddled in camps in Mexico as they await an opportunity to cross over into the US.
“Encounter numbers continue to fluctuate, as smugglers and bad actors continue to spread falsehoods and show complete disregard for the safety and well-being of vulnerable migrants,” a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told CBS.
“We remain vigilant and stand ready to ensure the safety of our personnel, migrants, and local communities, and the security of our southwest border.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador this week to address the spiraling crisis.
While no specific arrangement was announced as a result, both sides said they were committed to stemming the tide.
“As we made clear in Mexico City today, we are committed to partnering with Mexico to address our shared challenges, including managing unprecedented irregular migration in the region, reopening key ports of entry, and combating illicit fentanyl and other synthetic drugs,” Blinken said after the meeting.
While the short-term challenges posed by the surge are absorbed at the border and nearby US towns, migrants inevitably fan out across the nation.
Mayors from three major cities — New York, Chicago and Denver — held a joint press conference this week to amplify their concerns.
“As temperatures drop in New York City, Chicago, Denver and other impacted cities, we are calling for the federal declaration of emergency, financial support and a national resettlement strategy,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said.
