Border officials are expecting a surge in unlawful migration this month as encounters with unlawful migrants along the southern border increased in February after a brief dip at the start of the year.
Officials reportedly encountered more than 140,000 unlawful migrants attempting to cross into the United States last month, with another 50,000 such migrants processed through ports of entry, reported CBS News Texas.
The roughly 190,000 encounters were lower than the monthly average of approximately 206,000 during FY 2023 but still a significant increase from the 176,205 encounters reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in January. Encounters reportedly remained high at the start of March, with more than 7,000 reported during some 24-hour periods, according to CBS.
Erin Waters, a spokesperson for CBP, said the agency would continue to do everything possible to manage the crisis amidst “historic global migration,” according to CBS.
“CBP remains vigilant, but we continue to experience serious challenges along our border which surpass the capacity of the immigration system, exacerbated by continually shifting migration patterns,” she continued.
Encounters with unlawful migrants have remained at historic highs since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to take steps to deter unlawful crossings into Texas.
One of the steps taken by the governor has been the busing of unlawful migrants to sanctuary cities across the country, with more than 104,000 people having been transferred since the measure began in April 2022.
While this program has helped mitigate the effects of unlawful crossings into the state, it has also cost more than $148 million since it began, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Another step taken by the Lone Star State has been the use of barriers along the border to deter unlawful migration, including the use of concertina wire and a floating barrier in the Rio Grande.
Many of these efforts have been sidetracked due to lawsuits filed by the federal government, which has allegedly cut the concertina wire to allow migrant crossings and sued to remove the floating barrier.
