While Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced this week it “saw a decrease in apprehensions between our ports of entry [POEs] and a decrease in individuals deemed inadmissible to enter the US at our ports of entry along the Southwest Border in January 2017,” CBP also noted that, “Overall, total migration remained at elevated levels, primarily due to family units and unaccompanied children [UAC] from Central America, Haitian nationals migrating from Brazil and Cuban nationals.”
In January, a total of 31,575 individuals were apprehended between Southwest border POEs, compared with 43,254 in December and 47,211 in November. In Fiscal Year 2016, Border Patrol apprehended 408,870 individuals along the southwest border, compared to 331,333 in FY 2015, and 479,371 in FY 2014.
Of the 415,816 total Border Patrol apprehension in FY 2016 (October 1st through September 30th), 222,847 apprehensions were “Other Than Mexicans (OTMs),” which includes “Special Interest Aliens,” compared to 148,995 OTM apprehensions in FY 2015. This is the second highest number of OTM apprehensions since the 257,473 apprehensions in FY 2014, and the second largest number of OTM arrests since FY 2000.
There were 168,222 total Southwest Border Patrol Apprehensions FY 2017 year to date (October 1 – January 31). For breakdown by Border Patrol Sector, see the Southwest Border Apprehensions by Sector report.
From FY 2017 year to date (October 1 – January 31), there were a total of62,758 CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO) Inadmissibles apprehensions.
In January, a total of 10,899 people presenting themselves at Southwest border POEs were deemed inadmissible compared to 15,226 in December and 16,155 in November. In FY 2016, 150,825 were deemed inadmissible, compared to 114,486 in FY 2015 and 90,601 in FY 2014.
CBP said Office of Field Operations “inadmissibility metrics include individuals encountered at ports of entry who are seeking lawful admission into the United States but are determined to be inadmissible, individuals presenting themselves to seek humanitarian protection under our laws and individuals who withdraw an application for admission and return to their countries of origin within a short timeframe.”
For breakdown by OFO Field Offices, see CBP’s Southwest Border Inadmissibles by Field Office report.
CBP assured it “continues to maintain a strong security posture through background checks of all individuals encountered and ensures that each person is processed in accordance with US immigration laws and Department of Homeland Security [DHS] policy.”
