According to the latest data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, over 205,000 individuals were apprehended for illegal border crossing in June.
The tally of illegal border crossers this fiscal year has now surpassed 2.4 million, with June’s figures contributing to this total.
Last month, over 130,000 individuals were apprehended while attempting to cross the border illegally, with the majority of them caught at the southwest border. Since the beginning of the fiscal year, the number of individuals apprehended at the southwest border has surpassed 1.82 million.
In June, the highest number of apprehensions in U.S. history were reported at the northern border, with over 17,700 individuals being apprehended. This fiscal year, the number of apprehensions at the northern border has reached close to 145,000.
The period starting from October 1 and ending on September 30 marks the fiscal year.
According to the data, it has been observed that the vast majority of individuals who illegally cross the border are single adults, which has been a consistent trend every month. As per the statistics, in this fiscal year until June, over a million single adults have illegally entered the country. Following this, the next highest number of illegal border crossers totals to almost 700,000 individuals who claim to be a part of a family unit.
According to CBP’s report, there has been a significant decline in the number of Border Patrol encounters between ports of entry. In fact, the encounters were 29% lower than in May 2024, making it the lowest monthly total for the Border Patrol along the southwest border since January 2021. This number is also lower than the number of encounters between ports of entry in June 2019.
Last month’s figures on the number of inadmissible aliens entering and being released into the United States were met with opposition from U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn. He argued that it was just “another devastating number” and blamed President Biden and now-impeached DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for inviting them in.
According to The Center Square, Green spearheaded the movement to impeach Mayorkas citing his inability to secure the border. In February, Mayorkas became the first cabinet member in the history of the United States to be impeached.
According to Troy Miller, a CBP official, the recent decrease in illegal border crossings can be attributed to the implementation of border security measures that have had a significant impact on deterring unlawful crossings.
According to The Center Square, Miller has taken on the role of commissioner following the resignation of Chris Magnus in November 2022. Magnus had been in the position for 11 months but faced criticism for his management of an increase in illegal border crossings. The Arizona Sheriff’s Association, among other officials, had expressed concerns about his qualifications and opposed his nomination.
According to Miller, the past six weeks have seen a decrease of over 50% in the number of encounters at the southwest border, all thanks to a new rule that Mayorkas has issued.
According to Green and other experts, the Biden administration’s implementation of new parole programs has resulted in a significant increase in monthly encounters at ports of entry by foreign nationals with no legal basis to enter the country. The numbers have surged from approximately 20,000 in January 2021 to over 117,000 in June 2024.
Critics argue that the total number of foreign nationals illegally entering the country is not fully reflected by the traditional measure of entry between ports of entry and at ports of entry. This is because of the existence of parole programs. For instance, using the newly created CBP One mobile app, hundreds of thousands of individuals have been flown in.
According to data from CBP, the app facilitated the entry of approximately 42,000 foreign nationals into the country last month. Since its launch in January 2023, over 680,500 foreign nationals have utilized the app to schedule appointments and arrive at ports of entry.
According to Green, the strategy of the Biden administration is clear to everyone. It involves flooding the country with illegal aliens through ports of entry and then creating mass-parole programs like CBP One and CHNV to encourage otherwise-inadmissible aliens to enter the country in a less politically damaging way.
Mayorkas not only developed the app but also extended the parole programs (CHNV) to enable Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals who are otherwise prohibited by law to enter the country. According to CBP data, approximately 494,799 individuals have been granted parole through the CHNV parole procedure by arriving on commercial flights.
According to CBP, a total of 106,757 Cubans, 205,026 Haitians, 93,325 Nicaraguans, and 118,706 Venezuelans were authorized for travel and thoroughly vetted. Out of these, 104,130 Cubans, 194,027 Haitians, 86,101 Nicaraguans, and 110,541 Venezuelans were granted parole and released into the United States.
According to a report by The Center Square, the CHNV parole process has been linked to violent crimes committed against Americans. Reports suggest that those being released were not being adequately vetted, if vetted at all. Despite claims made by CBP, DHS Inspector General reports revealed that Border Patrol agents were not vetting every individual apprehended and released, while ICE agents were not detaining them.
