59.7 F
Washington D.C.
Friday, October 11, 2024

CBP Reports 14 Percent Decrease in Border Encounters from May to June

More than two-thirds (68 percent) of all southwest land border encounters were single adults, with 140,197 encounters in June.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics for June 2022 in a new, more accessible format that is designed to provide greater transparency. Further details of this change are below, and the data can be viewed online here.

“The men and women of CBP keep our country secure by enforcing our immigration and trade laws at our ports of entry and along our borders,” said CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus. “While fluctuations are normal from month to month, we saw a 14 percent decrease in encounters compared to the previous month. We are committed to implementing our strategy of reducing irregular migration, dissuading migrants from undertaking the dangerous journey, and increasing enforcement efforts against human smuggling organizations. We continue to rescue and provide medical assistance to those who are in distress. My message to those considering taking this dangerous journey is simple: this is not an easy passage, the human smugglers only care about your money – not your life or the lives of your loved ones, and you will be placed in removal proceedings from the United States if you cross the border without legal authorization and are unable to establish a legal basis to remain.”

CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Numbers for June 2022

The large number of expulsions during the pandemic has contributed to a higher-than-usual number of migrants making multiple border crossing attempts, which means that total encounters somewhat overstate the number of unique individuals arriving at the border.

  • The number of unique individuals encountered nationwide in June 2022 was 153,379, a 14 percent decrease in the number of unique enforcement encounters than the prior month.
  • In total, there were 207,416 encounters along the southwest land border in June, also a 14 percent decrease compared to May. Of those, 26 percent involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one-year re-encounter rate of 15 percent for FY 2014-2019.
  • More than two-thirds (68 percent) of all southwest land border encounters were single adults, with 140,197 encounters in June, a 16 percent decrease compared to May.
  • 92,274 encounters, 44 percent of the total, were processed for expulsion under Title 42. 115,142 encounters were processed under Title 8.
    • 78,130 encounters involving single adults (56 percent of all single adult encounters) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 62,067 processed under Title 8.
    • 14,028 encounters involving family unit individuals (27 percent of all family unit individuals) were processed for expulsion under Title 42, with 37,752 processed under Title 8.

Unaccompanied Children

  • Encounters of unaccompanied children increased 4 percent, with 15,271 encounters in June compared with 14,678 in May. In June, the average number of unaccompanied children in CBP custody was 752 per day, compared with an average of 692 per day in May.

Family Unit individuals

  • Encounters of family unit individuals decreased by 13 percent from 59,534 in May to 51,780 in June—which is 40 percent decrease from the peak of 86,631 in August 2021.

CBP Nationwide Total Encounters for FY22TD through June: 2,002,604

Ongoing Migration Management Efforts

CBP continues to enforce U.S. immigration law and apply consequences to those without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. Current restrictions at the U.S. border have not changed; single adults and families encountered at the southwest border will continue to be expelled, where appropriate, under CDC’s Title 42 Order.  Those who are not expelled will be processed under the long-standing Title 8 authority and placed into removal proceedings.

Under Title 8, those who attempt to enter the United States without authorization, and who are unable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States (such as a valid asylum claim), will be quickly removed.  Individuals who have been removed under Title 8 are also subject to additional long-term consequences beyond removal from the United States, including bars to future immigration benefits.

DHS has been implementing a comprehensive strategy to manage the number of border encounters. The strategy includes: 1) Acquiring and deploying resources to address increased volumes; 2) Delivering a more efficient and fair immigration process; 3) Processing and removing those who do not have valid claims; and 4) Working with other countries in the Western Hemisphere to manage migration and address root causes. Read more here.

International Travel and Trade

One of CBP’s core mission objectives is to enhance the nation’s economic prosperity, including through the facilitation of lawful trade and travel. CBP continues to protect America’s national and economic security by facilitating legitimate trade while rigorously enforcing U.S. customs laws and regulations.

 

Count June
2020
June 2021 % June 2021 Change from June 2020 June
2022
% June 2022 Change from June 2020 % June 2022 Change from June 2021
Air 543,133 4,894,296 801% 9,783,474 1701% 99.90%
Passenger Vehicles 3,936,835 5,168,595 31.29% 7,423,039 88.55% 43.62%
Pedestrians 1,546,328 2,268,865 46.73% 3,212,755 107.77% 41.60%
Trucks 974,705 1,097,907 12.64% 1,108,608 13.74% 0.97%

CBP has processed increased numbers of arriving travelers without any significant delays. Travelers who are non-U.S. persons are allowed to enter the United States for non-essential travel via land ports of entry and ferry terminals, provided they are fully vaccinated and have appropriate documentation. The updated guidelines also allow most non-immigrants (non-U.S. citizens and other covered persons) who are fully vaccinated to travel by air to the United States, regardless of the reason for travel.

Travelers can plan by doing the following:

  • Have a valid Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative document, such as a passport, Trusted Traveler Program card, or Enhanced Tribal Card.
  • Possess proof of an approved COVID-19 vaccination as outlined on the CDC website.
  • Verbally attest to their travel intent and COVID-19 vaccination status.
  • Be prepared to present any documents requested by the CBP officer.

Accountability and Transparency

As part of the agency’s continuing effort to promote organizational accountability and transparency, CBP announced the release of its Report on Internal Investigations and Employee Accountability: Fiscal Year 2020. For FY2020, CBP leadership directed the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and Human Resources Management (HRM) to generate a joint report combining information regarding allegation intake and misconduct investigations with information regarding disciplinary outcomes. CBP is committed to being a leader in law enforcement accountability and transparency by providing multiple ways to report incidents as well as timely, accurate, and appropriate information regarding CBP-related deaths, use of force incidents, and other critical incidents resulting in serious injuries. The Accountability and Transparency page provides the public with statements, policies, reports, and other important information concerning critical incidents and related OPR reviews and investigations.

Trade Stats/Seizures – Protecting the American Consumer

CBP works diligently with the trade community and port operators to ensure that merchandise is cleared as efficiently as possible. CBP works with the trade community to strengthen international supply chains and improve border security. There are several programs by which CBP works with importers, carriers, consolidators, licensed customs brokers, and manufacturers to advance information about the shipments and expedite the inspection process at the ports of entry. CBP is available to conduct exams and is ready and willing to expand hours of operations if necessary to meet the growing demand for imported goods.

In June 2022 alone, CBP processed more than 2.96 million entry summaries valued at more than $302 billion, identifying estimated duties of nearly $8.7 billion to be collected by the U.S. government. In June, trade via the ocean environment accounted for more than 42.03 percent of the total import value, followed by air, truck, and rail.

Intellectual property rights violations continue to put America’s innovation economy at risk. Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threaten the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, the livelihoods of American workers, and the health and safety of consumers.

In June 2022, CBP seized nearly 1,223 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $166 million.

In June, CBP completed 40 audits that identified $20.7 million in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government, stemming from goods that had been improperly declared in accordance with U.S. trade laws and customs regulations.  Fiscal Year 2022 to date, CBP has completed 237 audits and agency advisory services that identified $366 million in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government.  CBP collected $19 million of this identified revenue.

Drug Seizures

CBP officers, Border Patrol agents, and Air and Marine Operations agents continue to interdict the flow of illicit narcotics across the border. Nationwide, drug seizures (Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Marijuana) by weight were up 25 percent in June compared to May. Seizures were as follows:

  • Cocaine seizures increased 62 percent 
  • Methamphetamine increased 14 percent 
  • Heroin seizures decreased 49 percent 
  • Fentanyl seizures decreased 41 percent

Additional CBP drug seizure statistics can be found here.

 

Agriculture Stats/Seizures – Securing American Agriculture

In June 2022, CBP agriculture specialists helped protect America’s agriculture, natural resources, and economic prosperity.

  • CBP issued 5,618 emergency action notifications for restricted and prohibited plant and animal products entering the United States.
  • CBP conducted 85,855 positive passenger inspections and issued 593 civil penalties and/or cargo violations.

 

CBP COVID-19 Response

The safety of our workforce, our communities, and individuals in our care is a top priority.  CBP personnel put themselves and their families at risk with every encounter with the public.

Since the start of the pandemic:

  • More than 29,673 CBP employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
  • 64 have passed away.

CBP continues to explore adjustments to workforce posture and health protocols based on widespread vaccine access and easing public health metrics:

  • CBP provides migrants who can’t be expelled under the CDC’s Title 42 order or are awaiting processing with PPE from the moment they are taken into custody, and migrants are required to keep masks on at all times.
  • CBP provides age-appropriate COVID-19 vaccines to noncitizens taken into CBP custody at the Southwest land border who are determined to be inadmissible pursuant to Title 8.
  • CBP works with appropriate agencies that facilitate testing, diagnosis, isolation, and treatment of migrants, including:
    • Local governments and non-governmental organizations for persons released from CBP custody;
    • ICE for testing of persons to be released from CBP custody, particularly in locations without local government or NGO testing capability; and,
    • HHS for testing of unaccompanied children.
  • DHS has developed a partnership model to test and isolate families who test positive for COVID-19, and reimburse 100 percent of the cost, provided that the state does not stand in the way.

NOTE: As part of this month’s data release, the CBP.gov Stats and Summaries site page has been updated to a new accordion format. The new page groups similar topics together for easier navigation and is organized based on page views and frequently requested information. All site pages maintain their original URLs to keep existing bookmarks or favorited site pages. Additionally, CBP Stat is launching the CBP Public Data Portal on the Stats and Summaries site page. The Data Portal builds on CBP’s commitment to improve transparency by allowing users to download the underlying aggregate data for each interactive dashboard on CBP.gov and can be viewed online here.

50
Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

Related Articles

Latest Articles