The Biden-Harris Administration is bragging about border encounters being down during the month of July, attributing the drop to the President’s border proclamation and international cooperation rather than the hot, fiery temperatures of summer.
However, what the Biden-Harris Administration is not bragging about is the fact they only took action a few months before the Presidential election and after millions of illegal aliens had already entered the United States and settled in American communities. The Administration is also not bragging about the fact that it temporarily halted its illegal Cuba-Haiti-Nicaragua-Venezuela (CHNV) parole program – just one of its many abuses of the law – due to massive fraud. With 30,000 inadmissible aliens allowed to enter per month under that program, the temporary pause on the CHNV program could alone count for the drop in encounter numbers between June and July.
The numbers show that encounters of illegal aliens at our borders are still at crisis levels. For the month of July, more than 170,273 illegal aliens (or nearly 5,500 per day) were encountered along our borders, a modest drop from the 204,958 encounters in June. The largest percentage of illegal aliens encountered continues to be single adults with more than 110,150 single adults encountered in July.
The July numbers also show a continued trend of illegal aliens crossing at ports of entry. Of the 170,273 encounters, at least 110,615 were encountered at ports of entry (by the Office of Field Operations) and only 59,658 were encountered between Ports of Entry (by the Border Patrol). That means that a significant portion of illegal aliens are avoiding traditional routes in remote areas, and are choosing other points of entry, such as the northern border, air and sea ports.
Total CBP Nationwide Encounters: FY 2021-2024, by Month
In fact, over the last four years, the number of encounters at ports of entry has increased dramatically. It used to be that people attempted to enter between ports, trying to evade law enforcement. On average, only about 20,000 people entered at ports of entry in early FY 2021. By the beginning of FY23, the number at ports had more than tripled, and by the end of FY 2023, the number of encounters at ports had increased by over 500%.
CBP Encounters at Ports of Entry: FY 2021-2024, by Month
Why the change? To create the illusion of order, the Biden-Harris administration has consistently directed illegal aliens to enter where CBP officers were stationed – at official ports of entry. Through new rules and policies regarding asylum and parole, the Administration incentivized crossing at ports of entry. The Administration continues to claim that the entry of illegal aliens at ports of entry is legal or “lawful,” which is an intentional lie and dangerous propaganda used to deceive the migrants as well as the American people. While entering at ports of entry certainly minimizes the toll and risk of death to migrants, these aliens are not being turned away, returned or removed—despite the fact that they are inadmissible. Instead, the Biden-Harris Administration has been illegally using every tool to release them into the interior.
The Administration’s abuse of immigration parole has allowed more than 520,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to fly into the United States using commercial flights, obtain work permits, and live freely. In just one month, CBP processed over 38,000 illegal aliens that would normally not be admissible, allowing them to make appointments using the CBP One App. Since that app was introduced, more than 765,000 individuals have presented themselves at our borders to be allowed entry via parole.
Tragically, 6,390 of the total encounters were unaccompanied alien children. So far this fiscal year (with two months remaining), 96,920 unaccompanied alien children have been encountered crossing our borders, at which point they are transferred to the custody of Health and Human Services (HHS), released to sponsors, or placed in facilities all over the country. In fact, as of August 16, HHS says that nearly 6,000 unaccompanied alien children are in their care.
Aside from illegal aliens being trafficked, smuggled, or willingly making their way across the U.S. border, CBP is also attempting to stop the surge of drugs that pour into America’s communities. In July, more than 2,800 pounds of fentanyl were seized, making it the highest month this fiscal year.
Total CBP Fentanyl Seizures: FY 2021-2024, by Month
From the July numbers, we know that the administration continues to play a shell game, trying to sell the American people a story that their actions are working. In reality, the border crisis continues, and illegal aliens and dangerous drugs continue to make their way into our communities. With just two months in the fiscal year remaining, it’s clear that their strategies are not solving the border crisis because they are not intended to.
