The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has disclosed the statistics for migrant encounters during March. The report elucidates encounters along the border, as well as those that transpired at various ports of entry.
According to the CBP, there were fewer encounters along the southwest land border in March 2024 than in the previous year. Specifically, there were 189,372 encounters this March compared to 193,249 in 2023. This figure also represents a decrease from March 2022 when there were 222,574 encounters reported. For the fiscal year to date, encounters at the southwest border have totaled 1,340,801.
In an April 12 news release from CBP, Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner said: "CBP - in coordination with our partners across the Federal government as well as foreign partners - continues to take significant actions to disrupt criminal networks amidst unprecedented hemispheric migration activity. Encounters at our southern border are lower right now, but we remain prepared for changes, continually managing operations to respond to ever-shifting transnational criminal activities and migration patterns."
At ports of entry along the southwest border, CBP agents encountered migrants on 137,480 occasions which is a decrease of 16% compared to March 2023 and a decrease of 45% compared to December 2023 according to another CBP news release.
Furthermore, CBP agents have been involved in rescue operations for migrants in distress or reported missing and have repatriated decedents’ remains to family members. In terms of figures for last month alone, CBP agents conducted 439 rescues bringing the total number of rescues in the Fiscal Year 2024 up to 2,488. This monthly figure is notably higher by 77% than that recorded in January 2024.
