Border Patrol's Tucson Sector busiest along US-Mexico border for third straight month

José Ignacio Castañeda Perez, Arizona Republic
·2 min read
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The U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector remained the busiest sector along the Southwestern border for the third straight month in September.

The sector documented 51,001 migrant encounters in between ports of entry, increasing by over 4% from August, according to recently released U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

There was nearly a 5% increase in encounters at both ports of entry and in between official crossings in the Tucson sector in September.

Retired schoolteacher Tom Wingo of Samaritans Without Borders (right) gives snacks and bottles of water to a group of migrants claiming to be from India, who just crossed the border wall on Aug. 29, 2023, in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Lukeville, AZ.
Retired schoolteacher Tom Wingo of Samaritans Without Borders (right) gives snacks and bottles of water to a group of migrants claiming to be from India, who just crossed the border wall on Aug. 29, 2023, in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Lukeville, AZ.

Yuma saw a nearly 12% decrease from August to September, per CBP data.

September’s data closes out fiscal year 2023, which was the second-highest year ever for Border Patrol migrant encounters. The year is only beat by 2022 numbers.

CBP One Desperation: Migrants seek alternate ways into US as frustration with mobile CBP One app grows

The Border Patrol encountered 2,045,838 people in between ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2023. Authorities encountered 2,206,436 people in 2022.

A group of roughly 50 migrants, mostly from India, continue their walk toward a Border Patrol processing center on the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument west of Lukeville on Aug. 22, 2023.
A group of roughly 50 migrants, mostly from India, continue their walk toward a Border Patrol processing center on the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument west of Lukeville on Aug. 22, 2023.

Venezuela was the number one nationality of migrants encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border in September. September was the first month since August 2019 that Mexico was not the number one nationality.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would start direct deportation flights of Venezuelan nationals. Direct deportations to Venezuela were paused for years as the U.S. maintained a frosty relationship with the country.

One-hundred-and-thirty Venezuelans subsequently were removed Oct. 18 on the first flight.

In September, CBP processed roughly 43,000 people with CBP One appointments at ports of entry. Since DHS expanded the number of appointments in June, more than two-thirds of people who recently used the app secured an appointment in less than eight weeks, according to DHS.

About 278,000 people have scheduled appointments to present at a port of entry since the function was introduced in January, per CBP. The top nationalities who have scheduled appointments are Haitian, Mexican and Venezuelan.

Have a news tip or story idea about the border and its communities? Contact the reporter at josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joseicastaneda.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Border Patrol Tucson sector remains busiest for third month in a row