The Department of Homeland Security released official border statistics for August; total encounters reached 208,887 last month, Border Patrol agents encountered 195,558 aliens, while the Office of Field Operations encountered another 13,329 at ports of entry.
August’s border enforcement statistics represent a 312% increase from August 2020; the 208,887 encounters are also more than double those counted during August 2019, as that year’s border surge began to wind down.
While the total number of encounters at the border fell ever-so-slightly for the first time since Biden assumed the presidency, the number of aliens encountered at ports of entry by the Office of Field Operations continued to rise. This number has steadily increased since December 2020.
Apprehensions of UACs and family units continued to be the largest growing encounter demographic for the second straight month. In total, Border Patrol agents encountered 18,847 UACs. Additionally, border Patrol agents encountered 86,487 family units compared to 76,056 in July.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said in a written statement Wednesday evening:
The men and women at CBP continue to step up to meet the demands of high numbers of encounters at our southern border. CBP recorded 2 percent fewer encounters in August than July. The vast majority of single adults encountered in August, along with a substantial share of families, continued to be expelled under the CDC’s Title 42 authority.
For some comparison on how large this year’s border surge is, here is the total number of encounters compared to the past three years. Remember, FY2021 ends on September 30th, leaving another entire month of encounters.
