As the November presidential election approaches, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that the annual number of migrants at the southern border is expected to be the lowest since the end of the Trump administration, while the total number of deportations and removals over the past year is exceeding Trump administration levels.
The agency said in its monthly news release Monday that it recorded encounters of about 58,000 migrants between ports of entry along the southwest border in August, down from a peak of about 250,000 in December.
That represents a 68% decrease from the same month last year, and the Border Patrol is on track to see its lowest annual apprehension numbers along the Southwest border since fiscal year 2020.
The numbers are trending lower than the monthly averages for fiscal year 2019, the last comparable fiscal year before the pandemic. The term encounters refers to migrants who are at least temporarily detained at the border and then released, usually while awaiting an asylum decision, as well as migrants who are not detained and are immediately expelled.
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A large group of Chinese migrants, including three from Bangladesh, stand in line before a Customs and Border Patrol agent in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, on June 6, 2024. (Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
The figures mark a dramatic change in encounters since the all-time high in December 2023, when CBP encountered roughly 250,000 migrants crossing the southern border. That's a significant increase over the all-time high in May 2022, when CBP encountered roughly 224,000 migrants.
Immigration remains a key issue heading into this year's election, and President Biden was forced to sign an executive order, presidential proclamation and a supplemental interim final rule (IFR) in June following increasing pressure from Republicans and former President Donald Trump to address the unprecedented number of border crossings under his administration.
The Border Patrol said that since President Biden's executive order took effect on June 5, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had expelled or returned more than 131,000 people to more than 140 countries, including operating more than 400 international repatriation flights through September 10.
During that same period, the Department of Homeland Security nearly tripled the percentage of aliens it expedited removals from, while the percentage of releases pending immigration court proceedings fell by nearly half, according to the CPB.
According to the CPB, the total number of removals and returns in the past year exceeds the total number of removals and returns in any fiscal year since 2010.
The agency said in its report that the IFR helps improve the Department of Homeland Security's enforcement capabilities against immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety, such as gang members attempting to enter the country illegally, by “making these individuals ineligible for asylum and allowing them to be expeditedly removed.”
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The latest figures come as this year's presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump approaches. (Getty Images)
“The United States works with domestic and international partners to jointly interdict illegal migration across our borders and monitor emerging threats, including national security and public safety concerns posed by international criminal organizations,” CBP said in the report. “We continue to conduct thorough screening and identity checks on all individuals encountered at the border to identify those who pose a threat to public safety and national security.”
The CPB added that the Department of Homeland Security is increasing Border Patrol agents on the front lines to support border enforcement efforts and strengthen federal efforts to intercept individuals who pose a threat to national security or public safety.
DHS also implemented enhanced screening measures at the border to identify known or suspected gang members, including members of the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua,” which has been occupying buildings and harassing communities in Texas and Colorado.
Troy Miller, the commissioner's senior official performing duties, said in a statement that CBP's increased counter-narcotics efforts resulted in the seizure of 30 percent more dangerous drugs in August than in July.
“Thanks to the work of our dedicated officers, this increased enforcement effort is significantly disrupting the operations of these violent international criminal organizations,” Miller said.
Additionally, CBP said in its Monday report that approximately 530,000 migrants flew into the U.S. and were paroled as part of the Biden administration's controversial mass parole program targeting migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV). The program began in October 2012.
About 530,000 migrants flew into the U.S. and were released on parole, the data showed. It also showed that about 813,000 migrants made appointments through the CBP One app at ports of entry and were released into the U.S.
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Migrants traveling north toward the U.S. border walk along a highway through Suchiate, Chiapas, southern Mexico, on Sunday, July 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
Both are considered “legitimate pathways” into the United States and were created by the Biden administration.
However, these figures are not included in the Border Patrol data because they are not considered illegal crossings.
Immigrants who participate in the CHNV program are paroled into the United States on a two-year humanitarian parole grant, which allows them to apply for work.
Fox News' Bill Melugin and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
