U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced during the month of May, which saw a dramatic shift with Title 42 no longer being enforced, Border Patrol encountered 169,244 illegal immigrants between ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, a decrease of 25 percent from May 2022 but still higher than in years past.
Customs officers, who control the ports of entry, recorded 35,317 encounters at the southern border ports of entry, including 28,696 individuals who presented with CBP One appointments. Under the Biden administration, migrants in Mexico can try to secure a CBP One appointment to present themselves at a port of entry to claim asylum.
CBP’s total encounters along the country's southern border in May were 204,561.
As usual, CBP's numbers do not count the number of "gotaways," which are still significantly high.
"As a result of comprehensive planning and preparation efforts, there has been a significant reduction in encounters along the Southwest border since the return to full Title 8 immigration enforcement on May 12. As we continue to execute our plans –including delivering strengthened consequences for those who cross unlawfully while expanding access to lawful pathways and processes– we will continue to monitor changes in encounter trends and adjust our response as necessary," said Senior Official Performing the Duties of CBP Commissioner Troy Miller.
The Biden administration has taken a victory lap since there was no significant surge of illegal crossings at the southern border, but daily Border Patrol encounter numbers are still way above what is considered manageable.
Congressional Republicans have accused the Biden administration of violating the law by paroling so many people at the border through the CBP One app. Historically, paroling an individual and allowing them in the United States was on a case-by-case basis, now it is up to tens of thousands of people per month.
The CBP One app is not being used the way it was originally intended. @RepClayHiggins @A1Policy @ChadFWolf @HomelandGOP pic.twitter.com/iMSlBLknI5
— FAIR (@FAIRImmigration) June 14, 2023
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