U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released its southwest border apprehension data for the month of April on Tuesday. Attempted illegal crossings continue to remain high despite the Biden administration insisting the border is closed.
In April, CBP had 178,622 encounters with immigrants attempting to illegally cross into the United States from Mexico, up from 173,348 apprehensions in March. Under the Centers for Disease Control's Title 42 authority, 111,714 expulsions were made during the same time period.
The number of unaccompanied minors who were taken into CBP custody dipped slightly, though they still remain high, with 17,171 unaccompanied minors accounted for in April. In March, 18,960 unaccompanied minors were apprehended. The month of May marks the usual time of year where apprehensions get to their highest as illegal immigrants try to enter the U.S. before the deadly high summer temperature sets in for June, July, and August.
The new data flies in the face of what Biden administration officials have stated about the border being "closed" and "not open." President Biden has previously stated the border is now "under control." Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was asked about new videos showing large groups of illegal immigrants easily crossing into Del Rio, Texas, during the White House press conference on Tuesday.
Mayorkas again repeated the border is "closed" and pointed to the administration's use of Title 42 to expel single adults and family units.
"We decided as an administration...to administer our immigration laws of this country in an orderly and safe and humane way that we will not expel unaccompanied children," he added.
DHS Sec. Mayorkas is asked about recent videos showing large groups of illegal immigrants continuing to cross into the U.S. despite saying the border is "closed": "The border is closed. We are expelling single adults and families under the Title 42 authority..." https://t.co/E9ZpSNtkWw pic.twitter.com/SIzn8LEuza
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 11, 2021
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