Total immigrant encounters at the southern border exceeded a record 2 million in one year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported.
CBP released the numbers on Monday, finding that the Border Patrol encountered 203,598 immigrants in August alone, a 4.2% increase from July. In August 2020, the Border Patrol interacted with approximately 50,000.
The total number of immigrant encounters at the southern border is 2,150,639 for fiscal year 2022, which spans October 2021 to September of this year. The final numbers will be determined as September ends.
Based on the data, these numbers are up 25% from last year’s total.
CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus attributes the significant rise in numbers to falling communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba. He said these repressive regimes pose “significant challenges for those fleeing in terms of processing and removal.
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“At the same time, the number of migrants entering from Mexico and northern Central America has decreased for the third consecutive month, as the Biden-Harris Administration works with our partners in the region to address the root causes of migration, facilitate repatriation, and take thousands of smugglers off the streets,” Magnus continued in a statement.
Of the total unique encounters, 55,333 were from Venezuela, Cuba, or Nicaragua, which represents 35% of unique encounters for August — a 175% increase from over a year ago.
Data show two-thirds, or 140,210, of August’s encounters were with single adults. Of the 203,598 encounters, 73,153 resulted in expulsion and 130,445 were processed.
In recent days, two Republican governors sent buses and planes of immigrants to such Democratic-run cities as Washington, D.C., Chicago, and New York City, as well as Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, to express their concern about the rising numbers.
The policy director at the American Immigration Council, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, agreed the situation was a “challenge” but argued the spike in numbers shows more people are getting caught than under previous administrations.
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“When we talk about record apprehensions, it has to come in the context that until very recently, a majority of people who crossed the border were not apprehended,” Reichlin-Melnick said previously to the Washington Examiner. “That said, this is undoubtedly a significant challenge.”
