Fiscal year 2023 has only just begun and preliminary numbers given to Townhall by a source in the Department of Homeland Security shows the crisis at the U.S-Mexico border is not letting up.
The official numbers of encounters and gotaways have not yet been released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), but the source said Border Patrol encountered over 209,000 illegal immigrants in October. With vast majority of that number comprising of people who willingly hand themselves in to law enforcement, there were at least 86,000 known gotaways along the southern border during the same time period.
While not publicly released by CBP, the source said Border Patrol reported 27 migrant deaths in October. With summer going away, the concern is now the colder weather claiming the lives of people who are trying avoid apprehension.
One noteworthy data point for October, the Tucson Sector has reported almost as many known gotaways as encounters. Agents encountered at least 23,000 illegal immigrants while 19,000 were able to get away.
The National Border Patrol Council and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) confirmed some of the border numbers in tweets.
Breaking: BP has once again exceeded 200,000 arrests for the month of Oct. Approximate KNOWN escape count of 2,000 DAILY. Plus others who escape detection entirely.
— Border Patrol Union - NBPC (@BPUnion) November 3, 2022
Biden Admin and its enablers continue to encourage this madness. These numbers don't include other CBP components.
BREAKING, from border sources, in October:1) 86,000 gotaways, 2) 27 dead migrants (those found by @CBP), 3) over 209,000 encounters & still counting. Big news - movement of numbers toward El Paso - roughly 53K with over 20K gotaways. #StandUpForAmerica #BorderCrisis
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) November 4, 2022
"If Republicans take back the House and the Senate, you're talking about a potential game changer," former Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan told Townhall about the effect of next week's midterms. "Because they can actually pass meaningful legislation to secure the border and stop the literal invasion that's happening across our border."
Morgan, who is now a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said Republicans should dare President Joe Biden to veto legislation that secures the border and the House should use it's authority of controlling the budget to ensure follow through on such legislation is done.
Morgan warned that if nothing is done in the next Congress to secure the southern border, then fiscal year 2023 can be on track to have over one million gotaways and three million total encounters, numbers that have never been seen since CBP started compiling data.
A look at the property damage/trash left behind for a local ranch owner in Normandy, TX. A group of nearly 400 migrants crossed the border illegally, crawled under a fence and awaited Border Patrol here. Migrants on this ranch will now be charged with criminal trespassing #dig pic.twitter.com/1QzF2JOOiK
— Nate Foy (@foymeetsworld) October 30, 2022