The number of times the U.S. Border Patrol arrested people illegally crossing the U.S.–Mexico border increased by 33.3 percent from June to July, according to government data Friday.
It marks a reversal from when the number of illegal encounters fell from May to June.
According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there were 132,652 arrests in July for illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico between official ports of entry along the southwest border. This marks a surge from June’s figure of 99,539.
The CBP noted that while encounters increased from June to July, July’s figure is still a 27 percent decrease from July 2022 when the Title 42 public health order was in effect.
Title 42, part of the Public Health Service Act of 1944, was implemented in March 2020. It allowed for blocking asylum claims and swift expulsion of most illegal border crossers under the grounds of keeping contagious diseases out of the United States.
The Title 8 federal immigration law largely replaced the Title 42 public health order when it expired on May 11. Title 8 allows for quick expulsions and a minimum five-year ban from the United States if illegal immigrants don’t qualify for asylum.
Arrests of People in Family Units Almost Doubled
A large portion—60,161—of the 132,652 encounters logged for July were encounters of people traveling illegally across the border in family units.That’s almost double the 31,266 such encounters recorded for June.
May to June Plunge
The number of arrests of illegal border crossers in June was 41.9 percent less than in May, which saw 171,387 encounters. The decrease from May to June came after new rules that cut off asylum for some illegal border crossers were implemented on May 11.Other Encounters
During July, authorities also admitted 50,851 migrants at legal entry points.A vast majority—more than 44,700—were admitted with CBP One appointments.
Following the Biden administration’s introduction of humanitarian parole for these nationalities over the past year, over 72,000 Haitians, 63,000 Venezuelans, 41,000 Cubans, and 34,000 Nicaraguans have been screened and authorized to enter the United States as of the end of July.
Traffic
In July, there was a shift in the traffic of illegal immigrants who found themselves in Arizona, which recently experienced intense heat. Officials have blamed the shift on misleading claims by smugglers that it would be easier to cross there and be released into the United States.The Tucson area was busiest in July, with 39,215 arrests across its nine sectors along the border—a 60 percent increase from June, and more than double the numbers in July 2022.
The Border Patrol’s Tucson sector chief, John Modlin, said large group apprehensions occurred in the first week of August, including a diverse group of 533 people from 17 countries near a remote town called Lukeville.
Troy Miller, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement Friday: “We remain vigilant and continue to adjust our operational plans to maximize enforcement efforts against those individuals who do not use lawful pathways or processes, knowing that smugglers continue to use disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals.”
