WASHINGTON — The U.S. Customs and Border Protection released the May 2019 migration statistics on Wednesday, which show that the crisis declared by President Trump continues unabated. So far this year, enforcement actions on the Southwest border reached 676,315, up 99 percent over last year at this time.
Border Patrol agents serve in concurrent humanitarian and enforcement missions in their complex job. Just a few hours after yesterday’s entry of 134 illegal border crossers in Sasabe, more Central Americans surrendered to #TucsonSector #USBP agents at the same location. pic.twitter.com/6p2Bo2RoaD
— CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) June 6, 2019
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), total apprehensions on the Southwest border by the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) reached 593,507. In the previous seven years, the highest fiscal year total of apprehensions was 479, 371 in 2014 – which U.S. Border Patrol has already exceeded by 24 percent through May of this year.
The current situation is unsustainable for @CBP operations. Our officers and agents need additional resources and authorities to confront this crisis and to ensure that our humanitarian obligations to the families and children encountered at the border are fulfilled. pic.twitter.com/lwvBSo4shg
— John Sanders (@CBPSanders) June 5, 2019
“We are experiencing a system-wide emergency that is severely impacting our workforce, facilities and resources,” said Acting CBP Commissioner John P. Sanders.
Video of a large group of 134 Central Americans walking around the end of the border wall in Sasabe on Tuesday. The group immediately surrendered to @CBP #USBP agents. Eight people in the group were hospitalized. For HD video: https://t.co/SMOPKTNt3g pic.twitter.com/BpasR5NHIx
— CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) June 5, 2019
In May, USBP made 132,887 apprehensions on the Southwest border. The previous high total of apprehensions on the Southwest border for May over the past seven years was 60,683, occurring in 2014, which is less than half of this May’s apprehensions. CBP has seen an increase in all key areas of apprehension at and between ports of entry, including Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC); Family Units (FUA); and Single Adults.
Border Patrol agents have encountered over 180 large groups (100+ individuals) along the Southwest border so far in Fiscal Year 2019, compared to 13 in FY18 and only 2 in FY17. During May alone, USBP apprehended 49 large groups, including a group of 1,045 last week in El Paso: pic.twitter.com/MTsuDim54f
— CBP (@CBP) June 5, 2019
While each key category has seen an increase, the percentage of UAC and Family Units also continues to rise. UACs and FUAs represent 66 percent of all Southwest border apprehensions for FYTD 2019. For the month of May, they represented 72 percent of all Southwest border apprehensions.
Border Patrol agents, working between official U.S. ports of entry, apprehended 132,887 individuals who entered the country illegally in May—an average of 4,286 people per day. pic.twitter.com/BC0KMU18Zi
— CBP (@CBP) June 5, 2019
The migrants are mainly coming from the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras) and Mexico. 78 percent of the Southwest border apprehensions in May came from the Northern Triangle. If Mexico is added, the Northern Triangle and Mexico account for 91 percent of all apprehensions on the Southwest border.
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Many of these apprehensions are large groups. USBP defines a large group as any group consisting of more than 100 people. In FY 2017, USBP encountered two such groups. The number grew to 13 groups in FY 2018. USBP has already encountered over 180 large groups this fiscal year. The two largest groups ever encountered by USBP were apprehended in May, groups of more than 400 and 1,000 people.
CBP has moved over 1,000 Agents and CBP Officers (roughly five percent of its workforce) from ports of entry to assist USBP with processing the surge of migrants being apprehended. The reassignment of officers from the ports of entry to the USBP facilities comes with consequences. Pedestrian, passenger vehicle, and commercial trucks trying to cross the border are experiencing uncharacteristically long delays.
Some ports of entry have been forced to close some travel lanes and curtail some weekend cargo processing hours.