A total of 75,198 migrants were taken into custody in January for illegally crossing the Southwest U.S. Border, according to new data published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Wednesday night.
This number represents a staggering 157% increase compared to January 2020, and marks the highest January total since 2006, when over 100,000 migrants were apprehended - and that's not even counting the nearly 3,000 who were caught trying to illegally pass through ports of entry.
In an email Wednesday night, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy Miller stated:
“We continue to vigilantly perform our mission to secure our borders and enhance the nation’s economic prosperity by facilitating legitimate trade and travel. While CBP continues to experience an increase in attempted monthly border crossings as seen since last April, the uptick seems to be occurring in a small fraction of locations across the southwest border, which is consistent with trends in years past.”
But the border migration report refutes Miller’s claims of the "uptick" only occurring in a small fraction of locations. According to the report, arrests of single adults and unaccompanied children rose dramatically across all nine border sectors compared to the same time frame last year. For example, 7,295 unaccompanied children were apprehended at the border’s busiest sector, the Rio Grande Valley last month, marking a 73% increase compared to January 2020 when 4,215 UACs were apprehended. And with the number of migrant arrests hitting 15-year highs, one can only wonder how many illegal aliens are not being caught as they cross the border.
The report’s release follows growing criticism of the Biden administration’s immigration policies. A new Morning Consult poll found that Biden’s two most unpopular executive actions are related to immigration, including an EO ordering undocumented immigrants to be included in the U.S. census - opposed by roughly 42% of registered voters - and the president's expanding of the annual refugee cap to 110,000 in the upcoming fiscal year, which is opposed by roughly 48% of registered voters.
New from me: @MorningConsult has polled 28 executive actions issued by @POTUS since Jan. 20.
— Cameron Easley (@cameron_easley) February 10, 2021
His move to expand the refugee cap is the first one that is actually unpopular: 39% support it and 48% oppose it.https://t.co/pwfZKkXQ3t pic.twitter.com/yr8wPKG6jY
The poll also found that voters are not confident in Biden’s handling of immigration policy in relation to other issues facing the country.
As I wrote last week, immigration and energy appear to be the two issue areas that are going to pose the toughest political problems for the Biden administration: https://t.co/WbngytSdTD pic.twitter.com/pQOo093DF6
— Cameron Easley (@cameron_easley) February 10, 2021
On Tuesday, 51 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the Biden administration warning of the "rising illegal migration crisis," even as the administration opens new border facilities to help handle the overflow of migrants now making their way into the United States.
H/T BreitBart