The crisis at the southern border worsened during the month of August 2022 compared to the previous month. According to the Department of Homeland Security numbers, alien encounters surpassed two million for the first time in U.S. history.
Additionally, DHS stated that the amount of fentanyl was exceptionally high, setting yet another monthly record, topping the last record, established in July.
In August, Customs and Border Enforcement reported encountering 203,597 aliens at the border or immigration field offices. August’s numbers also mean the fiscal year-to-date alien encounter total has topped more than two million for the first time in history.
For context, this is the sixth month where illegal alien encounters have exceeded 200,000; additionally, there is still one month’s worth of alien encounters remaining in FY2022.
Once again, CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus blamed rough conditions, particularly in the Northern Triangle nations of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, for the out-of-control border crisis. Magnus added:
Failing communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba are driving a new wave of migration across the Western Hemisphere, including the recent increase in encounters at the southwest U.S. border.
Magnus also claimed that “the U.S. will expel or remove more illegal aliens at the border than any previous year,” reports The Washington Times. This is most likely accredited to Title 42, which is still in place, albeit typically only applied to single alien adults.
The Washington Times adds,
CBP data showed only about 90,000 — less than half — were expelled under the Title 42 pandemic border shutdown policy or subject to speedy deportation.
About 63,000 were caught and released by CBP into the nation’s interior.
About 24,000 were sent to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where most were expected to be released.
Still, others were sent to the U.S. Marshals Service or state and local authorities who had claims on them.
Despite a slight dip in the number of alien encounters in the month of July, August 2022 saw a 0.3% decrease in aliens apprehended after illegally crossing the southern border and a 21.7% increase in aliens encountered at Offices of Field Operations compared to July.
More than 55,000 of the 203,597 aliens total came from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, which Magnus blamed for the 1.7% total increase from July.
Additionally, DHS estimates an average of 55,000 “gotaways” per month in conjunction with the average of 200,000 aliens per month who were apprehended at the border.
Surprisingly, CBP also recorded more than 15,000 encounters with illegal aliens at the northern border with Canada, up from approximately 13,000 in July and roughly 5,000 in August 2021. So far this fiscal year, CBP has recorded over 96,000 illegal alien encounters at the northern border. For context, approximately 27,000 aliens were encountered at the northern border throughout all of FY2021.
You can read the complete story at The Washington Times.
