New numbers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) show that for the first time in history Border Patrol agents had more than two million migrant encounters in a single year.
The CBP reports 203,598 encounters along the U.S. southwest border in August, bringing the Fiscal Year (Oct 01, 2021 – Sept. 30, 2022) total to 2,005,026.
With ten more days in the fiscal year, this number could still rise.
“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,” said CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus. “Our dedicated teams of skilled agents continue to work around the clock to secure our border and safely and humanely process and vet every individual encountered, but those fleeing repressive regimes pose significant challenges for processing and removal.”
Officials reported a 2.2 percent increase in the total number of encounters nationwide in August 2022, driven by the increased number of migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
The CBP also says that the number of migrants entering from Mexico and northern Central America has decreased for the third consecutive month, which aligns with reports that the Biden administration is secretly urging Mexico to accept more illegal immigrants.
There have been more than 4.4 million migrant encounters since President Joe Biden took office.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates the cost for illegal aliens who entered during Biden’s tenure at $20.4 billion per year, in addition to the $140 billion per year U.S. taxpayers were already paying in benefits and services. Their estimate, however, was based on only 2.3 million illegal aliens entering the country since Biden took office.
Over the past few months, tensions have steadily risen over the issue of border security, as Republican governors in border states have taken more aggressive steps to pressure the federal government into taking stronger actions.
Most recently, Florida Governor Ron Desantis grabbed headlines after sending two planes of illegal migrants to the elite enclave of Martha’s Vineyard.
His actions followed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who sent migrants on buses to Washington D.C., New York City, and Chicago.
