In a startling development, the southern border witnessed a record-breaking number of enforcement encounters in November, reaching nearly a quarter of a million. This surge in border activity has intensified concerns surrounding the ongoing illegal immigration crisis.
Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reported 242,418 enforcement encounters on the southern border in November of fiscal year (FY) 2024. Nationwide, CBP said a staggering 308,728 encounters during the same month.
These figures, released just two days before Christmas Eve, have sparked outrage from Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Mark Green. He accuses the Biden administration of deliberately concealing the spike in border crossings by strategically releasing the numbers when fewer Americans are likely to pay attention.
Green’s frustration with the timing of the release highlights a growing sentiment that the current administration is evading accountability. He has even announced the initiation of impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas early in the new year.
The unprecedented number of enforcement encounters in November of FY 2024 reflects a substantial rise of more than 7,000 compared to the previous year. In FY 2023, there were 235,000 reported enforcement encounters at the southern border, whereas in FY 2022 and 2021, the numbers stood at 174,000 and 72,000 encounters, respectively. Astonishingly, there have been over 7 million encounters on the southwest border since fiscal year 2021.
This surge in border activity is part of a more significant trend of illegal immigration. Since President Biden took office in 2021, an estimated 1.7 million illegal immigrant getaways have been recorded. This figure is four times higher than the numbers reported during the Trump administration in 2018, 2019, and 2020, which amounted to approximately 415,000 getaways, as reported by CBP.
The overwhelming number of immigration court cases further compounds the grim reality of the situation. About 2.1 million cases are pending, with some foreign nationals receiving court dates as far into the future as 2032 and 2035. This backlog only adds to the challenges immigration authorities face in addressing the crisis effectively.
Public opinion surveys reveal growing dissatisfaction with President Biden’s handling of the border. A Fox News poll conducted in late June surveyed over 1,000 registered voters and found that 62 percent of respondents disapproved of Biden’s approach to border security, while only 35 percent approved.
