DHS released its monthly border encounters report for April this week, the last full month before the termination of Title 42 on May 11. Encounters of illegal aliens along the border and at ports of entry were back above 200,000 for the first time since December.
While border encounters have dipped slightly over the first few months of 2023, encounters exceeding 200,000 have become commonplace under the Biden Administration. April was the 13th month since Pres. Biden’s inauguration that total encounters exceeded 200,000.
Of the 211,041 encounters, Border Patrol agents made 182,114 apprehensions of illegal border crossers. Another 29,287 illegal aliens tried to enter the United States through a port of entry. That number roughly matches the number of encounters at ports of entry in March.
With the end of Title 42, the number of encounters at ports of entry made by CBP’s Office of Field Operations will be the number to watch going forward. The administration is encouraging would-be illegal border crossers to set up an appointment through its CBP One app to enter the country illegally at a port of entry, and it’s setting up processing centers across Central America to grant parole to individuals who would otherwise cross the border illegally. The goal is to reduce the number of illegal border crossings, giving the appearance of a declining border crisis, but without actually reducing the number of illegal aliens released into the country each month.
Of the total encounters for April, 140,678 were single adults, mostly male, accounting for 66.5% of all encounters. There was a noticeable increase in the number of family units that were apprehended, up nearly 28% from March to April. Both accompanied and unaccompanied alien minors remained consistent with approximately 12,000 encounters. Of the more than 211,000 total encounters, more than half (53.6%) came from a country other than Mexico or the northern triangle countries of Central America (Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador).
After House passage of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, that would end the border crisis, prevent new border surges, and deter future illegal immigration by requiring employers to use E-Verify, our efforts will now move to the Senate. The Senate was expected to begin its Memorial Day recess this weekend, but may end up staying in session to deal with the debt limit.
href=”https://www.numbersusa.com”>Numbers USA ~ May 19, 2023