According to fresh data from the Department of Homeland Security released on Monday, which revealed record amounts of fentanyl use and illegal immigrants being smuggled into the country, the pandemonium at the southern border intensified in August.
Customs and Border Protection reported that it apprehended 203,597 people at the border last month and has now encountered more than 2 million illegal immigrants in fiscal 2022, which still has a month to go. The fentanyl numbers were particularly troubling, setting yet another monthly record and surpassing July, which was already by far the worst month. It’s the sixth month in a row that there were more than 200,000 contacts.
After Kamala Harris maintained that the border is “secure,” the statistics have now been released. Texas discharged busloads of migrants outside her official house at the Naval Observatory in Washington as a result of that proclamation.
The Biden administration’s unprecedented increase in illegal immigration has come under increased scrutiny because to the busing approach. Officials for Biden had thought that things had calmed down during the summer.
Chris Magnus, commissioner of CBP, attributed the migration of individuals to the United States to the unfavorable situations in Latin American nations.
“Failing communist governments in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are pushing a new wave of migration throughout the Western Hemisphere,” he added. This includes the recent rise in contacts at the southwest border of the United States.
According to him, fewer migrants came from more established sending countries like Mexico and other regions of Central America in August, which he attributed to improved border security initiatives between the US and those governments.
Additionally, he said that this year, the United States will send home or deport more illegal immigrants than ever before. He neglected to clarify that the United States will likewise engage in more capture and release than ever before.
According to CBP data, fewer than half of those who were subject to swift deportation or removed under the Title 42 pandemic border closure policy were just around 90,000. About 24,000 were taken to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where the majority were anticipated to be released, while about 63,000 were apprehended and released by CBP. Others, who had claims against them, were transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service or to state and municipal authorities.
The increase in persons is a test for Mr. Magnus, who had celebrated a month earlier since the July data had shown a tiny decline.
However, in August, more than 55,000 immigrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela flooded into the country, contributing to an increase in illegal immigrant contacts to 203,597 from 200,195 in July.
Republicans held the Biden administration’s adjustments to the border security strategy directly accountable.
According to Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, “gangs are prospering, narcotics are flowing into our neighborhoods, and our communities are less safe because of Biden and Democrats’ dereliction of duty and open border policies.” Voters’ worries about their loved ones’ safety and security in November will put Biden’s border problem at the forefront of their minds.
Fentanyl seizures increased 6% in August compared to a 6% decrease in heroin and a 44% decrease in methamphetamine seizures. In CBP’s four-year record, cocaine seizures increased 193%, making this the second-highest month ever.
Contrary to popular belief, more seizures are viewed negatively. According to analysts, more is getting in as more is being captured.
This is often true for illegal immigrants as well; estimates place the number of “gotaways” at 55,000 a month, in addition to the 200,000 or so who were apprehended; and it wasn’t only the southern border.
More than 15,000 interactions with illegal border crossers were reported by CBP at the Canadian border, more than triple the number from last August and up from about 13,000 in July. In comparison to about 27,000 contacts during the whole fiscal year 2021, CBP has documented over 96,000 encounters along the northern border this fiscal year.
