Illegal border crossings are reportedly up
The number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border is reportedly on the rise, and the number of migrants crossing at the Darién Gap from South America to Central America is higher so far this year than all of 2022 combined.
Illegal crossings at the southern border rose 30% in July, with agents making 130,000 arrests in the month, up from 99,545 in June, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data obtained by The Washington Post.
CBP data also showed an increase in the number of migrant families with children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, with it tripling in two months, according to NBC News.
U.S. officials expected the number of migrants seeking to cross the southern border to increase following the end of Title 42, a public health measure used during the pandemic that slowed migration. However, the number of migrants border agents encountered dropped from 10,000 to about 5,000 encounters a day when the policy ended in May, according to data reported by The Associated Press.
The CBP said illegal crossings are still lower than before Title 42 ended.
“Unlawful border crossings have gone down since our border enforcement plan went into effect and remain well below the levels seen while Title 42 was in effect,” CBP spokesperson Erin Waters said in a statement to the Post. “We remain vigilant and expect to see fluctuations, knowing that smugglers continue to use disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals.”
The number of migrants passing through the Darién Gap is up to nearly 250,000 people so far this year, according to the AP, which is more than all of 2022. The area is where many migrants from South America enter Panama en route to the U.S., and it’s among the most dangerous parts of their journey.
News of the increase in illegal crossings comes as the Pentagon reportedly plans to pull 1,100 active duty troops from the border. The troops were deployed for a 90-day mission in anticipation of an increase in migrants at the border with the end of Title 42. An additional 400 troops will stay at the border until Aug. 31, a defense official told the AP.
Related
Republican governors who argue the federal government isn’t doing enough to secure the border are sending their own National Guardsmen. This week, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen joined other Republican governors who’ve sent members of the National Guard to Texas to support the state’s “Operation Lone Star.”
“Republican governors continue to step up to the plate when President Biden refuses to lead,” Stitt said in a statement. “By deploying our brave National Guard Troops, we’re sending a strong message that we remain dedicated to defending our borders and upholding law and order in our nation.”
There have been 1,305 National Guardsmen and 231 other law enforcement personnel from 12 states who have taken part in Texas’ Operation Lone Star, according to Stitt’s office.
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The Justice Department announced a lawsuit last week against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state of Texas over buoy barriers installed in the Rio Grande as part of the campaign, which the Justice Department says were installed without authorization.
“President Biden’s border enforcement plan has led to the lowest levels of unlawful border crossings in over two years,” White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “Governor Abbott’s dangerous and unlawful actions are undermining that effective plan, making it hard for the men and women of Border Patrol to do their jobs of securing the border, and putting migrants and border agents in danger.”
