WASHINGTON, Aug CMC – The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency says statistics show that border crossings in July by Caribbean and other migrants along the Southwest Border of the United States were lower than in July 2022.
CBP also said Border Patrol encounters remain lower than during the months leading up to the end of the Title 42 public health order.
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Many of the migrants crossing the Southwestern Borders in the US and arriving in New York are nationals of Cuba and Haiti, as well those from Venezuela and Guatemala.
“We remain vigilant and continue to adjust our operational plans to maximise enforcement efforts against those individuals who do not use lawful pathways or processes, knowing that smugglers continue to use disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals,” said Troy A Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner.
“Every day, the men and women of CBP are rescuing and rendering aid to individuals sent into harm’s way by callous smugglers, while at the same time, increasing seizures of dangerous drugs, and processing high volumes of summer travellers,” he added.
CBP said it is processing all non-citizens under Title 8 immigration authorities, and generally placing non-citizens who cross the border unlawfully into Expedited Removal or Section 240 Removal Proceedings.
Generally, it said non-citizens who cross between the ports of entry or who present themselves at a port of entry without making a CBP One appointment are subject to the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule.
This rule presumes asylum ineligibility for those who fail to use lawful processes, with certain exceptions.
“No one should believe the lies of smugglers. The border is not open to irregular migration; individuals and families without a legal basis to remain in the United States will be removed,” the CBP said in a statement..
In July 2023, CBP said it recorded 132,652 encounters between ports of entry along the Southwest Border: a decrease of 27 per cent from July 2022 when the Title 42 public health Order was in effect.
It said while total encounters increased from June to July, encounters of Single Adults between ports of entry remained flat, “which is indicative of the success of our work to maximise the use of Expedited Removal after the end of the Title 42 public health Order, which was initially focused primarily on Single Adults.”
Additionally, it said Border Patrol encountered fewer single adults on the Southwest Border in the entire month of July than it did in the early days of May prior to the lifting of Title 42.
In July, CBP said Border Patrol encountered an average of 2,016 Single Adults per day, down from 6,164 per day the first eleven days of May.
Total Southwest Border encounters in July, including individuals who presented at ports of entry with or without a CBP One appointment, were 183,503, a decrease of eight per cent from July 2022.
CBP said it has undertaken significant efforts in recent years to expand capacity to aid and rescue individuals in distress.
The CBP latest data comes as New York Governor Kathy Hochul said New York is continuing efforts to support Caribbean and other asylum seekers, and to help them find shelter and connect them with critical social services as they arrive in the state.
