The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had 32% fewer encounters with noncitizens along the southwest border in July 2024 than the previous month. This news came in an Aug. 16 news release.
“In July, our border security measures enhanced our ability to deliver consequences for illegal entry – leading to the lowest number of encounters along the southwest border in more than three years," said CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy Miller. "We are working closely with international partners to go after transnational criminal organizations that traffic in chaos and prioritize profit over human lives, and this month announced enhanced enforcement efforts to attack the fentanyl supply chain. These efforts are seeing results, as CBP saw the largest fentanyl seizure in our agency’s history just a few weeks ago. We remain vigilant in these efforts alongside our partners.”
According to the CBP news release, the presidential proclamation by President Joe Biden that temporarily suspended migrant entry at the southern border, along with the interim final rule (IFR) from the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General, which went into effect on June 5, encounters between ports of entry decreased by 55%.
The IFR restricts the ability of those who enter the US irregularly to request asylum, and it makes removing certain migrants and returning them to their home countries happen more quickly.
There were 56,408 total encounters between migrants and CBP agents in July, which is the lowest monthly total since September 2020; for those who appeared at ports of entry without a CBP appointment, the total 61,325 is a 30% decrease from June 2024.
The decline has hit all demographics. According to CBP, there was a 27% decrease in single adult encounters; a 24% decrease in family and individual encounters; and a 15% decrease in single adult encounters.
U.S. Border Patrol, a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for safeguarding the nation's borders and preventing illegal entry of people and contraband. Established in 1924, it operates in 328 ports of entry and protects 7,000 miles of land borders and 95,000 miles of maritime borders.
