Border officials are bracing for a record-breaking rise in daily border arrests this spring, according to a new report.
Two officials from the Department of Homeland Security told Reuters This week the border could see as many as 9,000 migrant arrests a day in the coming months, a big jump from the July average of 6,500 when arrests were at their peak.
One of the officials described the number as a “worst-case scenario” as tens of thousands of migrants continue to cross the southern border – many are repeat offenders.
The dire warning comes after reports this week that the Biden administration has been secretly transporting migrants to airports in Texas to board flights to several cities across the country.
An independent journalist, Ali Bradley, also posted an 8-second video clip on Twitter on Wednesday that she said showed lone migrants waiting at San Antonio airport.
“In just hours, I saw more than 130 single adults dropped off,” she wrote.
Rep. Michael Cloud (R Texas) tweeted in response to Biden’s migrant flight stories“I drew attention to these midnight drops months ago. Now we have evidence that taxpayers’ money is funding the mass release of criminals in the US. The Biden admin continues to side with criminals, cartels and illegal immigrants over law-abiding Americans. .”
and Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) said: “President Biden and VP Harris clearly want open borders! Illegal immigrants openly walk the streets and are flown across the country. The #BidenBorderCrisis is endangering our security and national security!”
In December, less than half of border disputes — 78,589 — resulted in an individual being processed for eviction through Title 42, according to the data.
This week, the US Customs and Border Protection revealed that it registered 178,840 illegal immigrants at the US-Mexico border in December, a 2 percent increase from November’s number of 174,744. The agency added that it apprehended 135,040 unique individuals attempting to enter the US in December, a 5 percent increase from November.
The CBP added that less than half of the total number of encounters – 78,589 – resulted in a person being treated for eviction by the Title 42 public health authority, and lawmakers have expressed concern over reports that dozens of adult migrants have been transported from processing centers along the border to several US cities.
The US saw historic numbers of meetings on its southern border in 2021, with officials in total more than 2 million from January to December.
The government has defended its response to the ongoing crisis, despite criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
A CBP spokesperson told Reuters the agency is “ready to deal with any possible increase in migrant encounters”, adding that they will manage “a fair and orderly immigration system”.
